A new year: Flat Rock-Hawcreek students return to class

HOPE — Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. students returned to class on Wednesday, with some students saying their summer break just wasn’t long enough.

Superintendent Shawn Price said earlier this week that he was looking forward to the students’ return.

“We feel really good about where we’re at right now and are excited to bring ‘em to school,” he said.

Of course, summer may never be long enough for some students. Eighth grader Graydon Kilps felt that the break was “way too short.”

Senior Bronwyn Newcomb, on the other hand, said she’s “pretty excited to be back,” despite having spent all summer in the building as a custodian. She looks forward to seeing her teachers and marching in the Heritage Days parade. While Newcomb has some trepidation about her final year, being only 16, she’s also looking forward to college and getting to take more classes that focus on her interests.

As of about 10 a.m., Hauser Jr./Sr. High Principal Kris Fortune said that the first day of school was going well.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “This being my second year, last year I was able to learn a lot about just Hauser in general and get to know a lot of our students, so I’m just really excited to be back this year. And I think we’re going to have a great year.”

“There’s always a lot of energy and anticipation at this time of the year,” said Hope Elementary Principal Jessica Poe. “And this year it seems more so than normal.”

Tuesday’s open house went well, she said. The elementary school partnered with the Student’s Fund of Hope and offered free school supplies and haircuts, with more than 50 students taking advantage of the latter.

Poe noted that the new year brings a financial challenge for families, as there are no longer universal free school meals.

“They became used to that,” she said. “And with the economical status of our country, it’s just an added cost. And you’re talking about almost $15 a week if they’re eating lunch every single day, and then breakfast on top of that. So I do think that that’s going to be a bit of an obstacle.”

School safety is also on many family’s minds, school officials said.

“I think that we’re doing everything that we can for providing safety and security for our schools,” said School Resource Officer Jessica Pendleton.

COVID-19 is also on the radar of school officials, though Price hopes it will not have much of an effect on the school year.

School officials recommend screening for symptoms at home if individuals feel sick. Those who test positive are required to stay home for at least five days after the onset of symptoms and should wait until their symptoms have improved before returning to school. Cases should still be reported to school officials.

Masks continue to be optional, for the most part. One exception is that an individual should mask if they are symptomatic and visiting the school nurse.

When asked if he though COVID-19 would affect the school year, Fortune replied, “Only time will tell, but … I think, for the most part, that we’re probably past that point of it really affecting schools in any major way. Obviously it can affect individuals at any time. But I think this year its effects will be limited. Obviously we’ll see the long-lasting effects of COVID and a pandemic in general for years to come.”

“We still are dealing with the effects of COVID, even though we’re hoping we’re past the larger outbreaks,” said Price.

Learning loss from the pandemic is still an area of concern, and the school corporation has hired more counseling staff to provide student support.

“Just like any other year, we do our best to get to know our kids as best we can and see what challenges they may be having in their lives or academically and just do the best we can to meet those needs,” said Fortune.

Seventh grade social studies teacher Elizabeth Bollinger noted that there are a lot of new staff members this year. She said teachers at Flat Rock-Hawcreek enjoy getting to work closely with kids and having the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

“You work in a small town for a reason,” she said. However, she’s also excited about a recent increase in the student population.

According to Poe, Hope Elementary’s enrollment had about 518 students as of Wednesday. She estimated this to be 15 students more than last year. The school shared in a social media post earlier this summer that it has grown by nearly 100 students in the last eight years, and 20% of its students commute to school from outside of the district.

Jeff Cleland, who’s worked in the school corporation’s business office for over 30 years, believes this migration is due to the small-school atmosphere, which makes it feel like a family.

For instance, Cleland couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic as he dropped off his neighbor, 6th grader Sophia Crabtree, for her last year of elementary school.

“Makes me feel old … er,” he joked. “Feels like it was kindergarten just last week.”