Granby Schools (thankfully) Open A Day Late, and Without a Hitch

Granby school officials heaved a collective sigh of relief this morning, as the first day of school kicked off today without a hitch.

The first day was pushed back from Tuesday to Wednesday because several bus routes were obstructed and Granby Memorial Middle School and Kelly Intermediate School did not have power in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley said that he was extremely appreciative of the hard work put in by town officials, school facilities, the department of public works, Cox Cable and CL&P, among others, who made it possible to start school just one day late.

“The buses are running smoothly, which for today is really, really good,” Addley said. “Given the aftermath [of Hurricane Irene], it’s great. It’s nice to see all the kids on the first day, not just some. We felt that it was important for all the kids to have school opened on the same day.

“The excitement and anticipation, it’s just wonderful to see and to welcome back the staff and the kids.”

Addley, who was spotted greeting the staff and students at Kearns Primary School this morning, said that no major expenditures had been made in any of the schools this year, and that most improvements that were made were more of the cosmetic nature.

At Kearns, for example, an effort was underway to update the classrooms by slowly replacing older carpeting and upgrading the technology.

“We didn’t do a lot of major construction,” Addley said.

“Smooth” appeared to be the word of the day, as Kearns Principal Kim Dessert and Wells Road Intermediate School Principal Dr. Anna Forlenza-Bailey both used the term to describe their respective school openings.

“It was a smooth first day; all the kids were smiling and adults were waiting for them,” Dessert said. “We’re ready for a great year of learning and we have lots of bucket-filling to do.”

Dessert explained that everyone at Kearns has an invisible bucket that they can fill with kindness and nice things.

“You don’t want to be a bucket taker,” Dessert said. “It’s also about filling other people’s buckets with [good things].”

Over at Wells, with runs from grades 3 through 6, third graders were learning where the gym, bathrooms and fire exits were, while also practicing entering their numbers for hot lunches.

The fifth graders were getting a tutorial on how to use their lockers and what should and should not go in them.

“Everything has gone smoothly; the buses arrived on time and the kids came with smiles on their faces,” Dr. Bailey said. “There was no crying, though some kids were a little bit nervous. [All of which] makes a great first day.”