Bourne Welcomes Students Back For First Day
It was all hands on deck for the first day of school at Bournedale Elementary School.
Clutching classroom assignment packets, teachers hovered just outside the school’s back entrance at 8:45 AM on Tuesday, August 30, waiting for the first of a dozen school buses to round the bend of the back driveway. Being the first day back for just Bournedale’s 1st and 2nd graders meant the preschool and kindergarten teachers were free to help corral the students and make sure they made it to the correct classroom on time, which proved helpful when just minutes later students came bounding off the school buses dressed in their back-to-school best.
The sidewalks were awash with kids lugging backpacks nearly their own size, waving hello to last year’s classmates. Teachers shared smiles and high fives with students, welcoming them back and asking about their summer or complimenting their outfits. Some students were excited to see their favorite teachers and stopped to say hello or give a hug, while others beelined straight for the school to see their new classroom and old friends.
“Let’s get this party started,” shouted one student.
New Beginnings At Bournedale
Bournedale Elementary kicked off a schoolwide theme initiative last year, and this year’s theme—Bee Amazing, Bee You—has left its mark all over the school. From bumblebee pens to paper wall décor, it is clear that bumblebees are queen of the Bournedale hive this year.
“As you walk around the building, everything is ready to rock,” said Elizabeth Carpenito, Bournedale’s principal. “Even the kids came in for Welcome Night last week with all their yellow and black and all their bumblebee stuff on. They really rise to the occasion.”
This year’s theme, Ms. Carpenito said, is intended to ensure that students know their worth both in the building and out in the Bourne community.
“The theme this year is based on making sure that the kids incorporate back into the community and the community incorporates back into the school system,” she said. “We really missed that during COVID.”
The start of this school year is the first time that students have been able to return to school full time and in-person with no masking or social distancing protocols in place—which means that for the first time in three years, teachers and students were able to actually see each other’s smiling faces on the first day of school.
There were new faces to get to know, of course, with Bourendale welcoming a group of new teachers and a new assistant principal, Melissa Cieto. Ms. Cieto said she is excited to be at Bournedale and is looking forward most to getting to know all its students and families.
Districtwide Developments
Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou made the rounds on Tuesday, visiting each of Bourne’s four schools. The new school year holds a lot of potential for Bourne, as the district moves toward deeper community engagement and launches some innovative new programs.
This year, Bourne High School students looking for hands-on learning in the medical field will have access to an ambulance simulator, medical beds and equipment. The equipment and simulator are thanks to a Skills Capital grant from the state, Dr. Zhou said in a statement from the district, and will be offered to community partners to support certification programs such as EMT training, CNA training and first aid/CPR certifications. The simulator will also assist the district in applying for a health sciences pathway designation from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in the future.
The district is also beginning two new innovation pathways this year: Business and Finance, and Environmental and Life Sciences.
“These pathways are highly prestigious through DESE and will allow us to offer intensive hands-on learning to a wide range of students at the high school,” the statement said. “Notably, an additional $75,000 skills capital grant will fund a newly designed business center in the high school to provide industry-standard technology and equipment. Through an application process, Bourne High School 10th graders can now participate in one of these pathways.”
When it comes to community engagement, Bourne Public Schools is looking to connect not just with students and families but also with alumni and beyond. Dr. Zhou will be holding various coffee hour-type meetings throughout the year in informal settings to allow community members to share ideas and be more involved with the district and school system.
“Also in terms of making connections,” said the superintendent’s statement, “we will be increasing our efforts to give students more of a voice at the district level. Currently, we have a high school student advisor to the school committee who is a voting member on many topics, and we will be looking to create similar roles in the district for middle school students so that they can have a direct channel to the central administration.