Students go back to school

    Monday was the first day of school for students in the Washington School District. Students and teachers alike said they were happy to see one another again after nearly three months of vacation. High school secretary Kaylene Miller said it was nice to have a break over the summer.

    ?My summer was good but it went very fast,? said Miller. ?Our family took a trip to the Ozarks, and we relaxed most of the time.?

    Miller said she was also happy to see her co-workers Monday morning. She said she is looking forward to meeting the incoming 10th graders. She said that interacting with students is her favorite part of the job.

    Counseling secretary Jona Dalrymple also said the summer went by too quickly, but she enjoyed it while she could.

    ?I took a nice vacation,? she said. ?We went to Arizona, Colorado and watched some Cardinals? games.?

    Dalrymple said she met a number of 10th graders Monday morning because many of them needed a change to their schedule. She said she recognizes a few of them who came to the high school for classes when they were in ninth grade. Dalrymple said the thing that startles incoming students the most is the size of the high school building.

    ?When they see that there are three floors, they almost panic,? she said. ?They came from the junior high, which is just one floor.?

    Dalrymple said she looks forward to seeing the students and staff members she hasn?t seen since early June.          ?I love the first day of school,? said Dalrymple. ?It?s always crazy and hectic, but it?s fun to see the kids back. It seems like it?s been awhile since we?ve all been together.?

    Lynn Loula teaches composition and speech at the high school. She had an unforgettable summer as she visited her son Brendan who is serving in the Peace Corps in the Gambia, a country in northwest Africa.

    ?It?s a very small and poor country,? she said. ?We stayed in a hut with a thatched roof for four days. And because he?s been there for two years and really roughing it, we decided to take him on an eight-day trip to Madrid.?

    Loula said she was initially sad to see the summer go, but is now ready to see her students again.

    ?When the day comes for the teachers? meetings, you think, ?Is the summer really over??? she said. ?Now that we?re here and everything is set up, I?m excited.?

For the full story, see the Aug. 23 edition of The Washington Evening Journal