Many counties see students return to classes
CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. — Summer is coming to an end, and classes have started for some counties in West Tennessee.
After years of attending school during the pandemic, things have changed. This is the first school year to welcome students since the pandemic officially ended on May 11 of this year, and schools are excited to get back to normal.
A lot of the procedures have either lessened or are on an as-needed basis.
“We have COVID protocols for when students or staff members test positive, as far as their attendance, how many days they have to quarantine, that kind of thing. But on a day-to-day basis, we’re not doing anything different. We are back to business as usual,” said Cortnee Wilkes, the Principal of Trenton Elementary School.
Trenton Elementary welcomed students Pre-K through 4th on Wednesday, August 2. And though COVID procedures are not on the forefront, security certainly is.
“We have revamped our school safety plan and we have shared that with staff, and we’re making sure that everyone knows the procedures for when we have emergency situations,” Wilkes said.
Speaking of security, Crockett County Schools have added to their teams.
“We now have an SRO in every one of our schools in the county, which is something we’re really excited about. We have not had that in the past year at Crockett County,” said Jerrod Shelton, the principal of Crockett County High School.
Students returned to the halls of Crockett County High School for new classes on Tuesday, August 1, and excitement to see their friends again.
“We have a student body that’s very involved in a lot of extracurricular stuff, whether it be FFA, HOSA, FCCLA, our clubs, or our band or athletics. Those are all very important. A high percentage of our kids are involved in things after school. Besides not many go home at 2:55,” Shelton said.
Moving into Humboldt, East Elementary opened their doors Monday, July 31, to students in the 2nd to 6th grade. They were not only met with snow cones but also have some fun events to work towards as well.
“We have behavior rewards each month. And if they, you know, act a certain way, there are different behavior parties such as glow-in-the-dark parties. We have movie days, we have field trips,” said Debbie Sheehan, the principal of East Elementary in Humboldt.
These counties all shared their excitement to greet students back to school, with so many opportunities, and staff who are excited to teach new and returning students.
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