Hometown Clinton - Fall 2016

PRINCIPAL Q&A
“WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT
YOUR 1 ST DAY OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?”
CHS CAREER COMPLEX
BRETT ROBINSON
I guess what I
remember most
about school when
I was a kid was
the anticipation
and excitement of
getting to see all of my friends again. You go
all summer only seeing your closest buddies
but when school started back it was like the
whole “band” was back together again. Even
to this day, the thing I look forward to most
with the beginning of school is the opportunity
to interact with the students, parents,
and teachers.
CLINTON ALTERNATIVE
KELLY HEATH
The first day of
elementary school,
to me, has been
the same as all first
days of school. The
excitement and nervousness
of a new chapter in life. Anxious
of going to the next grade, meeting new
teachers, seeing friends you have been apart
from all summer. The excitement of the day,
a new beginning.
CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL
ANTHONY GOINS
I remember the
excitement of the
first day of school
growing up the
most. I attended
school before the
times of cell phones and social media, so
being able to reunite with my peers was really
a big thing. I also remember wondering
what my new teacher for the school year
would be like.
CLINTON JR. HIGH
BILL HARDIN
I remember feeling
very welcomed in
my teacher’s room.
Her name was Mrs.
Reese. She was
definitely a gifted
teacher who created a thirst for learning for
her students.
CLINTON PARK
ELEMENTARY
KELLI POPE
I was always so
excited about the
first day of school.
The anticipation of
meeting my new
teachers and discovering who would be in
my class was first on my mind. I could not
wait to wear my new school clothes and
use my new crayons and markers! Any
nervousness I felt would disappear, as I
was greeted with a smile and reassuring
word from my teacher.
EASTSIDE ELEMENTARY
CINDY HAMIL
I remember everything
feeling so
big and there
being so many
children in my
class. I went to
Clinton Park and had Mrs. VanLoo. She was
a sweet teacher. My best friend that year
was Lawanda Washington (I wonder what
happened to her). Mrs. VanLoo had this
awesome reading loft in her room where
we loved to go to read.
LOVETT ELEMENTARY
MICHAEL POPE
After a long summer
of playing outside,
reading books,
and watching
Saturday morning
cartoons, I was not
ready to go back to school for my 5 th grade
year at Eastside Elementary. I remember
my mother going to McRae’s and Gayfers
to buy school clothes. I was perfectly happy
with my dingy, worn-out summer shorts
and t-shirts, but for Mom, that was simply
unacceptable. I was able to pick out a few
items that I considered “cool” and would not
earn the derision of my friends. Shoes were
a big deal as well. My feet can be described
as more round than narrow, meaning I had
a small selection to choose from, and finding
socially acceptable shoes was a challenge.
Going to buy school supplies was also an adventure.
Mom would take me to the Clinton
TG&Y, where we would purchase the glue,
pencils, pencil pouches, and Trapper-keepers
(hopefully the ones that portrayed an
emblazoned dragon on the cover). If I was
really lucky I would get the 16-count Crayola
crayon pack and not just the 8-count. By the
time the first day of school arrived, I had
grown past the back-to-school blues. I was
excited to see my friends and find out which
teachers I was assigned. I remember my
teachers being so welcoming and inviting
towards me. Showing off my new backpack
and cool school shoes was a highlight of the
first day back.
NORTHSIDE
ELEMENTARY
MANDY AMBROSE
The thing that I
remember most
about my first day
of elementary
school is walking
into my classroom and being in awe of
its size. The sound of excited and scared
students and parents was humming throughout
the hallway and filling the classroom. I
remember feeling very anxious; I wasn’t sure
what to expect. After a few moments I built
up enough courage to take my eyes off of
the floor. Once I looked up, the first thing that
I saw was the smiling face of my teacher.
She walked over to me, took my hand, led
me to another little girl in the classroom
and said that she thought that we would
be great friends. She was right, that little
girl ended up being my best friend for the
remainder of my school-aged years. The
kindness and compassion that my teacher
expressed in those first few moments is
what initiated my journey to becoming an
educator. I wanted to be the one that made
a little girl or boy feel safe and cared for on
their first day in a new place. At that young
age I realized that making a student feel
cared for is the first step in helping them to
become successful.
SUMNER HILL JR. HIGH
JOHN WALLACE
On my first day
of 1st grade I
remember thinking
how cool it was to
have “real” desks,
do “real” reading,
writing, and math, and to be a “big” kid
compared to the kindergarteners. As
compared to what my daughter has just
learned and accomplished this past year
at Clinton Park in the 1st grade, I’m very
excited and proud to see what our students
are learning now as opposed to nearly
30 years ago.
CLINTON
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
PHILLIP H.
BROOME
The year was
1966. The most
memorable event
about the first day
of school was seeing a picture of a clown on
the wall and that I didn’t like school and if I
could make it through that day-I was never
going back. But, of course I did.
MT. SALUS
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
KEITH LOCKHART
Seeing new faces,
names on desks,
rooms newly
decorated and the
excitement of the
teachers. I wish the best to all parents and
guardians at our school as well as all the
other schools in the area. I hope they have
a safe and blessed year.
60 • Aug/Sept/Oct 2016