Not much matches the first-day excitement of a new school year. Waiting at the bus stop or walking to school sporting a brand new outfit and carrying a backpack filled with fresh school supplies occupies a special place in a student’s life.
On Sept. 4, the sense of a new beginning was palpable across the district as parents’ hopes and dreams waved goodbye from departing buses to be received by a sea of face-scrunching smiles, high fives, fist bumps and open arms from staff and one-year-older classmates as students entered their buildings for the first day of the 2012-13 school year.
Schools were ready to greet Garden City’s 4,000 students with additions and enhancements made possible by the community-supported 2009 School Investment Bond and Energy Performance Contract (EPC). Projects ranged in scope from comprehensive energy upgrades that improved the quality of learning and workspaces to expansive new additions at Homestead, the middle and high schools. Work continues during the day on the exterior of several buildings and after school and on weekends on the interiors to accomplish the sweeping bond and EPC goals. Even with a curbside glance, the results are striking. The physical state of the school buildings now more closely aligns with Garden City’s well-deserved reputation as a top-notch school district.
