Athens Elementary School, the once dormant elementary school over the summer months, quickly turned into a bustling campus of students, parents and teachers Wednesday — many of who showed excitement and the sense of a new journey to embark on.
“I love having the kids back in school, the energy that they bring as they come in the building is infectious,” Amanda Tedford, who’s entering her fifth year as principal at AES, told The News Courier. “The building is so quiet during the summer, even when teachers are here getting their classrooms ready. As soon as those kids come in it’s just off the charts.”
For some students, it was the very first taste of school as they entered into the pre-K program; for others it was a return to a familiar setting, but with new classmates and new teachers to get to learn for possibly the last time at AES as a fifth grader.
But the first day of school is a chance to live out your dreams by kicking off the academic career that will one day lead to their future career, according to Tedford.
“I love the first day of school, I always look forward to it,” Tedford said. “I’ve always loved school. I played teacher as a child, I always had my stuffed animals set up as a classroom and I was always the teacher. So, it was always my dream I guess.”
Tedford is not only entering her fifth year as principal, but her 19th year as an educator overall. She was also one of the first people the students saw as they entered the school, warmly greeting the students to help them get the nerves out and get them geared up to learn.
“Our students have always come in excited to learn everyday,” Tedford said. “We have students that are new to Athens, new to Alabama, and even new to the United States — and they just soak up every learning opportunity. As an educator, that is so encouraging to see and I know the other teachers feel the same way.”
The faculty and staff at AES were clearly excited to be back around the kids, donning shirts that proudly spelled out the name of the school. Tedford credited her faculty and staff for setting the learning culture at the school, and having the kids excited to learn.
“I would say there is no staff in America that is better than the one we have here at our school,” Tedford said. “We call ourselves ‘difference makers’ at Athens Elementary, because we truly believe we make a difference in the life of every child.”