Most kids might be sad about summer break coming to an end, but Sydney Jordan can’t wait to hit the books Monday during Indian Trail Intermediate School’s first day of classes.
“I’m a little bit nervous about it, but it’s exciting, too,” she said.
Jordan was a bit disappointed when she was going to leave Lake Ridge Elementary, but once she got her homeroom assignment, she became even more excited to join the ranks of Indian Trail Intermediate’s new students – even if summer break wasn’t exactly long enough.
“I’ve been really excited about coming here for a while once I figured out that fifth grade was moving here, but the summer went by really fast, so I wish I had a little longer,” the incoming fifth-grader said. “I think it’s pretty cool that me and all my friends that are coming from different schools, it’s cool that we get to be the first people that are coming here.”
Indian Trail Intermediate School replaced Indian Trail Middle School as it transitioned from a 6-7 campus to a 5-6 campus.
The transition has been in the works since 2007. The final piece of the puzzle was the completion of Science Hill High School’s 9th Grade Academy, which opened earlier this year.
Seventh-graders are heading to Liberty Bell Middle School.
Indian Trail Intermediate will be the home of 1,150 fifth- and sixth-graders. About 20 teachers from the city’s eight elementary schools will be joining Indian Trail’s ranks.
Read the full story about the transition of Indian Trail with comments from Jordan's mother and a teacher who is also excited about beginning a new year at what is essentially a new school.
This story by Press Staff Writer Madison Mathews begins on the front page of the Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, edition and is complemented by a feature story on two teachers; one who has been on the job for more than 40 years and one who has completed a few years of teaching.
Evelyn Tripodi has been teaching locally for 43 years. She got her start in Washington County schools before annexation brought her into the city school system at Cherokee Elementary, where she has taught kindergarten for 36 years.
Danielle Keasling is returning to the kindergarten classroom this year after a year in first grade at Mountain View Elementary.
Find out what these teachers say about their careers by reading the full story, which also begins on the front page of the same edition.