by Joseph Back “I’m excited,” one dual role parent-educator said as she made her way into work through door 4 at Stanley-Boyd High on Thursday August 20, with two teenagers alongside. “I want to get back to a regular routine.” Her son wasn’t so thrilled. “I’m not,” he said of excitement at the first day of class for student cohort A.

In what will surely go down in history as a most unusual school year, the line of parent chauffeurs stretched long and steady the morning of Thursday, August 20 in the south parking lot of East First Avenue, while five of the Stanley-Boyd buses sat idle in the drop off cul-de-sac, just drinking in the morning sun. Things started out slow, and early student arrivals were initially turned away from the high school entrance, instead pooling outside in close proximity

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Employees of Stanley-Boyd Schools help welcome students back to the first day of classes for 2020-21. From left to right are: Middle School Principal David Ludy, Tim Troyer, Superintendent Jeff Koenig, Lexi Schneider, and Deb Karlen. Photo by Joseph Back.

Brian McMurray walks his daughter to class as parents line up outside Stanley-Boyd Schools on Thursday August 20. Although some younger students arrived without masks, Elementary Principal Dean Lew was able to confirm that the district has provided masks to those without them. Staff Photo.

to one another, but with face coverings. Some students even sported “STRAIGHT OUTTA QUARANTINE” shirts, the new replacement for their parent’s generation and “Compton.” As things picked up toward 7:40 a.m., however, it was straight on in—there would be no loitering. Pressed for comment, one dad of a younger student shared what the first day was like.

“She’s a little nervous,” Brian McMurray said as he escorted his daughter into the building at the south entrance.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Stanley school campus, the buses were lining up to drop off returning student learners, with some redirected by staff member Lexi Schneider to the bus number 3 for Boyd. Riders arrived initially at Stanley spaced one seat apart from each other, and the seat immediately behind drivers was also empty. Among the youngest learners coming down the bus stairs, some were wearing face coverings, while others were not. Once all the students were transferred to the Boyd bus or in the campus doors at Stanley, Schneider boarded bus number three help her charges get to class. Not to be forgotten, meanwhile, was St. Joseph’s parochial school in Boyd which opened its doors this year two days earlier than the public school system, on Tuesday August 18. So how’d it go at St. Joe’s?

“It went very well,” Principal Sara Giza shared of the school offering 3K to sixth grade on-site all day and five days a week this year. “Everyone was excited to come back,” she said, adding that safety measures of extra cleaning and face coverings were followed and that the kids pitched in. “It was a seamless transition. We even attended Mass.”

Returning to the public school side of things, Superintendent Jeff Koenig had the following to say about how the first day for cohort A went.

“I thought the start of school went about as well as expected,” he shared of the public school’s fall start. “Students and staff did an excellent job of trying to keep everyone safe. I think everyone was just glad to be back in the classroom.” Reached by phone Monday, Middle School Principal David Ludy said much the same.

“Everything went well,” he said.” Kids were respectful of the protocols. I thought the first two days went much better than expected.” Ludy said that the district was still working on a couple things, but “nothing major.” Returning to Thursday morning, Support Services Supervisor Tim Troyer had his own take on things.

“It went fine, went good,” he said of how the first day had gone as far as kids entering the building. “Tomorrow will be another first day.” Thursday was the first day for Cohort A, and Friday the first day for Cohort B. As of Thursday morning, however, there were some barriers to re-install. One of the bus drivers radioed a request in.

“Can you put the sawhorses back so people don’t park there?” they said of the north entrance loop at Door 8 where the buses arrive.

I’ll just put the orange cones back up,” Troyer radioed back. And so it went.

Photo by Joseph Back.

Photo by Joseph Back.

A generous donation of school supplies was recently donated by members of Our Saviors Church of Stanley. The school gives heartfelt thanks for the continued support of the Stanley- Boyd School District. Pictured from left to right Jeni Luzinski, (Middle School Counselor), Jamie Ceranski (Elementary School Counselor), Joseph, Marie, and Sabrina Henderson (Our Saviors Lutheran Church).

The number 3 bus heads down Fourth Avenue on its way to Boyd.