Shepardson Elementary rolls out red carpet for first day of school in Fort Collins

Staff at Shepardson Elementary literally rolled out the red carpet for the first day of school Thursday, lining both sides and high-fiving students as they arrived.

The red carpet was on a blacktop between the school and playground, where dozens of kids were playing and reconnecting with classmates they hadn’t seen since the last day of school in May. Parents were catching up with the kids’ teachers and one another, as well, as they snapped photos and said their goodbyes.

Out front, parents were lined up with their kids to take pictures in front of the flagstone “Shepardson STEM Elementary” sign, with a the digital message below reading, “Welcome Back Shepardson Stars!.” There was a small signboard provided by school staff for the true first-timers to hold as their pictures were taken that read “First Day of Kindergarten 8 15 2024.”

One of those kindergartners, Carter Eichlin, was proudly sporting a new Mohawk-style haircut and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack while wearing his favorite shirt, an orange CSU Rams T-shirt.

“We got a new haircut, new shoes; we did the whole thing and just are ready to start a full school year at a new school,” his mother, Lindsey Eichlin said.

“The red carpet is amazing,” said Signe Revielle, who rode her bicycle to the school with her second and fourth graders. “We had friends over this morning for coffee and pictures and donuts. This is a really nice thing, what Shepardson does to welcome their students back and create a morning of excitement.”

More than 29,000 students were expected to attend Poudre School District schools this year, with most beginning the 2024-25 school year Thursday. Sixth and ninth graders throughout the district returned Wednesday, allowing them to spend a day meeting their teachers and administrators and finding their way around their new middle and high schools without the older students there. The Thompson and Windsor-Severance school districts were on the same schedule, with students new to their buildings beginning school Wednesday and the rest returning Thursday.

At Shepardson, and many of the other elementary schools in the district, school staff welcomed students back to meet their teachers and fill their desks with school supplies Wednesday evening, principal Wayne Thornes said.

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That helped alleviate some of the nervousness and anxiety students, and their parents, were experiencing.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Anna Gerber, mother of kindergartner Drew Gerber-Chaulk. “We’re excited to make some new friends and go to school in our neighborhood and learn lots of new things.

“We were here last night for the supply dropoff, and she’s already played on the playground. The school’s had really good communication, and we’re excited to be here.”

Sidewalks along Springwood Drive for several blocks on each side of the school were lined with families making their way toward Shepardson a good 30 minutes before the 9:05 a.m. start to the school day. Crossing guards, including physical education teacher Shari Lemesany and assistant principal Laura Sutton, were leading a steady stream of students, siblings in strollers and parents across the street in front of the school as they held up their “stop” signs.

By 8:45 a.m., when the first school buses began arriving, it was a carnival-like atmosphere in front of the school that has been welcoming students back with the red carpet for at least eight years now, since Revielle's oldest son, now a seventh grader at Boltz Middle School, was in kindergarten, she said. The tradition began under former principal Alissa Poduska, said Thornes, who spent five years as the assistant principal at Shepardson before becoming principal five years ago.

“We want it to be part of our culture,” Thornes said. “We want it to be a welcoming space, an exciting space. We want families and kids to feel excited about the first day.”

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Most students were already in their classrooms when the final school bus arrived, carrying not only students but also Poudre School District Superintendent Brian Kingsley. He high-fived students as they were getting off the bus, talked to a few school staff members, then posed for pictures with the bus driver, Thornes and Kristen Draper, president of the PSD Board of Education.

Kingsley had ridden a school bus to Bacon Elementary, which has an earlier start time, before making the rounds with the Shepardson students. He was headed next to Linton Elementary for another first-day-of-school celebration, said Emily Shockley, PSD’s communications coordinator.

Draper had arrived well before that to take in the scene, chatting with parents, students and staff and otherwise enjoying the energy and excitement of the start of a new school year.

“It’s beautiful, it’s fantastic,” Draper said. “The welcome that the kids receive from all of the teachers and staff; it was just amazing. You couldn’t help but smile. What a way to get welcomed back to school.”

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com , x.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news .

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Shepardson Elementary rolls out red carpet for first day of school in Fort Collins