Students new and seasoned share start of new year

The students of Andrew J. Mitchell Elementary School stood in a straight line, their backpacks in tow behind them as they waited for the buses to take them home after the first day of school Monday.

For many, this was their first time stepping into a classroom, and the beginning of a 13-year journey from kindergarten to high school graduation.

Some, such as second-grader Rion Conover, were first-day veterans, quickly getting to class and showing off what they learned at the end of the day.

Rion said he is excited to start school because the classes will be harder, especially math.

“Math is my favorite because it is hard and I like to count,” Rion said as he began to count by tens. “I like math, but mostly we just got to play all day.”

First-grader Nila Shiner was a little more shy when talking about her first day, but she did say she had classes with a lot of her friends.

“I have three friends in my math class, and I like that about first grade,” Nila said.

The only downside of the day for Nila was she didn’t get to go to her favorite class.

“Art is my favorite,” she said. “ But we didn’t get to go to art today.”

Shelby Elburn, a fifth-grader at Martha P. King Elementary, was excited and nervous on her first day because this is the first year she will have multiple teachers.

“Fifth grade is really cool because I don’t have one teacher this year but four,” Shelby said. “This year I have a teacher for science, math, reading and writing, and I think they are all really cool.”

Shelby said she was nervous about the amount of work she will have this year.

“I only have an hour to finish my class work for each class,” Shelby said. “That makes me nervous because before fifth grade I had all day to do my work.”

Mitchell Elementary Principal Benjamin Day has been through many first days, and he said the key to success is creating standards that kids can follow all year.

“The biggest thing for teachers and students to do on the first day of school is to establish a culture,” Day said. “Teach the kids how to walk in the hall, how to wait in line, and most importantly, the importance of working before you play.”

Day said when you establish a strong culture on the first day, kids respond really well for the rest of the academic year.

As kindergartners hopped on a bus at the end of their first day, seniors at Boulder City High faced fewer surprises, as many were joining classmates they had known for more than a decade.

For select seniors, the day began by greeting the incoming freshmen, helping them acclimate to their new school and make some friends.

However, even to old pros such as senior class President Canyon Denl, the first day had an unfamiliar weight, as this marks the beginning of the seniors’ final year together, after which most will leave town to pursue higher education or a career.

“I feel like it’s going to be really sad when the year is over, because of all of the bonds we’ve built since freshman year,” Denl said. “But it’s going to be a lot of fun this last year, working together and making memories that will last. It’s been kind of surreal — this is it, 180 days to go.”

Student body President Skylar McKay agreed that beginning their final year was a strange mix of excitement and apprehension.

“I’m freaking out about it, but not in a totally bad way,” McKay said. “I’m fine meeting new people, but I’m really sad that I won’t get to experience walking down the hallway and seeing my close friends every other step.”

There are lots of activities on the horizon, and it will be a year to cherish with friends, but it may also be bittersweet, Cortney Blumenthal said.

“This morning when we were working with the freshmen, I was really excited and hyper, kind of jumping around and dancing,” Blumenthal said. “But there was a moment when I was sitting on the bleachers and I leaned back and realized, ‘It’ll never be like this again.’”

Although this year promises a lighter load for many seniors, it will still be a busy final pair of semesters full of important tests, games and milestones, valedictorian candidate Michael Martinelli said.

“I’m a little anxious about the prospect of not spending time with my friends anymore after high school, but I am excited to try new things, in addition to all of the student council responsibilities,” Martinelli said. “I wouldn’t say I’m as worried about the AP tests and the school aspect of this year, but more the sports. Just the fact that at the end of this football season I’m never going to put pads on again, and the end of basketball season I’m never going to play, representing Boulder City, ever again.”

It’s the first day of the last year of school for Boulder City seniors, and like the 75 classes before them, they have a lot to look forward to and they’ve already come a long way, said calculus teacher Bill Strachan, who has been with the high school for 33 years.

“These kids are less than a year away from the real world, and this should be a year they really enjoy,” Strachan said. “But it’s up to us to teach them to balance that with really being prepared. I have a lot of these kids in my classes over multiple years, and when you see them take that step, and really grow up into adults, it’s really nice to see.”

Boulder City Review reporter Max Lancastercontributed to this story.

Contact reporter Hunter Terry at hterry@bouldercityreview.com or call 702-586-6711. Follow him on Twitter @HunterBCReview