First day of school in Worcester: Youngsters return; drone video inside new Doherty High

WORCESTER ― Worcester attracted plenty of attention Monday morning, as it was one of the first school districts in the state where students returned to school.

Students and administrators gathered outside Nelson Place Elementary School on a picturesque August morning to begin the long pursuit of another school year.

"There is a real sense of optimism about the direction Worcester Public Schools are moving," Mayor Joseph Petty said.

Petty was full of enthusiasm as he greeted students entering school Monday morning, citing the leadership of school Superintendent Rachel Monárrez as a turning point for Worcester schools.

"Under the leadership of Rachel Monárrez, there is an atmosphere of people being really excited, both on the educator level and the administrators and the students. There is an atmosphere that has been created of acceptance and dealing with things on a personal level and it's making a difference with the schools," Petty told the Telegram.

"You talk to teachers and any educators, and they will say it first-hand, the difference between three years ago and today, and I think with another year under her belt you'll see even more of that," Petty continued. "It's a hard district. We've got almost 25,000 students. It's one of the largest in New England. We've got a lot of transients, people moving in and out of the city, and that can be hard for students, but I think we are on the right track."

Monárrez, who is entering her third school year as superintendent, said she feels like the district is much more organized compared to when she started.

"I feel more steady in what to expect. You go into your first year, not only a new superintendent but also a new district...I think we are much more prepared. My staff, the principals and those who are leading the schools, we are all part of the same book. We had different chapters in year one, and we were reading different chapters, but now we are all part of the same book."

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For parents, the return to school was a welcome sign.

"We are happy they are headed back to school. They are not as excited," Anh Truong said, as she dropped off her daughter, Alison Nguyen, 9, for her first day of school at Nelson Place.

Truong's other daughter, Katelyn Nguyen, is set to start her first day of middle school at Forest Grove Middle School.

"She's a little bit nervous," Troung said. "It's been a very busy week for them. We took them to Vietnam for the first time over the summer and we just got back on Saturday. They loved it there and we look forward to taking them back."

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A new era at Doherty High

For students at Doherty Memorial High School, Monday wasn't just the first day of the school year, it was the first day inside the new Doherty High building.

Students expressed excitement about their first day inside the $316 million school.

"It was really exciting to finally be in the new school, there were a lot of new things, it was a huge change from the old school," Kleri Morcka, a junior, said after finishing her first day in the new building. "The new cafeteria was great, we got to sit outside and it wasn't as congested as the old cafeteria."

For Kallie Smith, it wasn't just her first day at Doherty, but her first day in high school. The ninth-grader said she was impressed by the new school.

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"I never went in the old school, but my step brother did and he said it was pretty old," Smith said. "I thought the new school was nice, it definitely felt like a really big, new school."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: First day of school in Worcester: Youngsters return; drone video inside new Doherty High