Moving on: Students, teachers get used to new schools at NA-FC

Related Photos

Slate Run Elementary students Carmyn Torres, left, and Sophie Wambold laugh with classmates during lunch Wednesday afternoon in New Albany. The pair have become fast friends ever since Wambold transferred to the school from Silver Street Elementary. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Donna Krieger is the special education teacher at Slate Run Elementary in New Albany. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

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September 2, 2010

By TARA HETTINGER Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Thu Sep 02, 2010, 07:12 AM EDT

— A “Let’s face it. Gators Rock!” sign adorns her classroom door along with each of her students’ names on green, paper gators that decorate the rest of the door.

But for Ebet Rogers, moving from teaching at Silver Street, where she was for 21 years, to Slate Run Elementary, home of the Gators, hasn’t been easy. She’s had to get used to a new building, principal, other teachers, students and even busing — since Silver Street had only utilized one bus.

“It’s going better than I expected it to,” Rogers said. “I’m letting go of Silver and letting Slate Run in. That’s what’s best for the kids. They’ve adapted so much better than the teachers. They are resilient.”

The focus in the spring was on the four schools in the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. that closed: Children’s Academy of New Albany, Galena Elementary, Pine View Elementary and Silver Street Elementary. However, those closures meant redrawing the district lines for all the county’s public schools. Slate Run ended up losing about 90 to 100 kids to other schools, but gained about 100 to 110 from others as well, said Principal Sharon Jones. Out of a teaching staff of 25, Jones said only nine worked at the school last year, since many of the teachers followed the students to the new buildings.

Jones said she talked with a second-grader who was having a hard time making the transition to a new school.

“We sat and we talked about how all of this is new,” Jones said. “We’re all going through the same feelings. We’re missing our friends, but we’re making new friends.

“You have to get to know people. You have to learn all these new names. It’s kind of scary at first. You don’t know them and they don’t know you.”

She said the following day the young child had made a card and bracelet for her teacher to help her feel better about being in a new school.

Even those teachers who stayed at the school are having to deal with the change. Donna Krieger, special education teacher, has been at the school since 1994.

“Everyone has come into this knowing it would be hard, so we have tried our very best to work it out,” she said. “I have made several new friends. It’s been positive.”

Sophie Wambold, 10, was one of the students who moved to the school after having attended Silver Street.

“I was kind of scared at first, because I wouldn’t know no one,” she said.

But she has become best friends with a classmate, 10-year-old Carmyn Torres, who didn’t have to change schools.

“I think it’s great, because I didn’t think I’d make any new friends like Carmyn,” Wambold said.

Jones said it has been a learning curve for everyone, especially during the first few days of school to learn which doors to enter, how dismissal goes and more. Now, she said the focus is getting the children more comfortable, preparing them educationally and making sure they are well-rounded citizens.

“I have people here who love children and as long as we have that, we’re in good shape,” she said with a smile.