In Step with Winston on the First Day of School

I am always excited about the first day of school! Each year I get so caught up in the excitement that I can’t help but go out and buy some back-to-school essentials. This year I got some school supplies and socks.

On Tuesday, Aug. 16 (the first day of school) I visited 10 schools in the district from Rio Grande High in the South Valley to L.B. Johnson Mid-School on the Westside to Hubert Humphrey Elementary in the Northeast Heights to San Antonito Elementary in the East Mountains. In every classroom I popped in on, teachers were already teaching; students were already learning. The air was energetic, the attitude positive, the outlook optimistic.

Some of the day’s highlights included:

• Joining L.B.J. Principal Mike Bachicha and several students in welcoming everyone back during the morning announcements
• Speaking with several AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) teachers at Wilson Mid-School who were emphatic that the program is having a real impact on student success
• Chatting with first-graders at Eubank Elementary on their way to recess for the first time this school year and
• Listening to students in Ms. Baca’s first-grade class at Hubert Humphrey list all they want to learn about this year.

From West to East, from the Valley to the Mountains, there are already great things going on in our schools thanks to the thousands of teachers, educational assistants and other staff members who work so hard to help are kids, and to those kids who work so hard to learn.