By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
After a long summer and a lot of preparation, the halls at Wynford and Bucyrus school buildings were buzzing with students. Both districts saw students return Wednesday for their first days back in session.
Students ranging from elementary all the way up through high school started the morning early and the year off strong.
At Bucyrus Elementary School, Principal Erica Dietzel joined the kids in first day butterflies. Dietzel, who was born in Bellevue and has returned to the area after 12 years in Florida, officially assumed her position as head of those hallways. Since coming to Bucyrus, Dietzel has overseen many significant changes, namely in the scheduling of math and reading, with the goal of reaching educational goals and standards in core subjects and early literacy.
And, at the end of the big day, Dietzel was overjoyed with how it went.
“Everything went off without a hitch,” Dietzel said, “Everybody was happy today, the kids were skipping down the hallway, I got into every single classroom, which was amazing…I have absolutely no complaints. It was a wonderful day.”
Just down the road at Wynford High School, the day was full of students who showed up excited and eager to learn. According to Principal Jeff Holbrook, the first day of this 2015-2016 school year was the smoothest of all his years as an educator in Wynford’s district. And, when asked what he was most looking forward to for both himself and the students, he responded simply: the challenges.
“Every class has a reputation…can the live up to the potential?” Holbrook said, “It’s a scary word, but our kids came to me today and said they they accept the challenge. They want to strive to not be mediocre…and I was very pleased by the looks on their faces and the comments they made.”
And every teacher passed along the way agreed: the air was exciting as new faces arrived, old friends reunited, community members grew together, and, as ever, the family of the area continued to strengthen and expand, solidifying the importance of these institutions for the students of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Buckeye Central and Crestline students also started classes Wednesday. Students at Colonel Crawford and Galion return to school next Tuesday.