Day 1 For Woodbury Schools

One down, 173 more to go.

And for Principal Kari Lopez, Day 1 couldn’t have gone any better.

“Honestly, it was a beautiful day,” she said.

Lopez was in good spirits on the first day of school for District 833. And that was mostly because, for the first time, students went through four hours of orientation with their advisory teachers on the first day.

That is especially important at a middle school, where new students go from being in one classroom most of the day to cycling between different teachers.

“It helps them get organized and know our processes,” said Lopez, who is starting her third year as principal at Woodbury Middle. “It’s nice for the little things, too—like if their lockers get jammed up.”

The students went through team-building activities and got acclimated to their surroundings, and the day ended with an ice cream social outside under sunny skies. Eighth-grade mentors served up the treats, Lopez said.

Because there were no traditional classes held Tuesday, the anxiety level for many students was lessened, Lopez said, and the workshops gave students a chance to ask questions and get feedback. Teachers last week went through their own sessions on how to ease students’ transition to a new year, she said.

“It’s a good way for students to feel like they’re part of a big family—and that’s what we do here, we try to make it so everyone feels like a member of the family,” Lopez said.

The Woodbury Middle School PTO decorated the hallways for the first day, and Lopez lauded her staff and parents for helping make Day 1 a success.

At one point after school today, several hundred students were running around the lot, trying to find the right bus. Ten minutes later they were ready to go.

One of the last students to board ran up to Lopez, who helped the girl find her bus. The principal gave a few claps and said “whoo!” as the 17 buses began to pull away.