'We're going to thrive this year': Tupelo Schools welcomes students back
Aug. 4—TUPELO — As Parkway Elementary School students walked through the building's front doors on Wednesday morning, backpacks and face masks on, for the first day of Tupelo's 2021-22 school year, it felt like New Year's Day for kindergarten teacher Melissa Allen.
"We get to start over, have a fresh start, fresh faces," Allen said. "It's just fun. I look forward to it all year."
This is Allen's 28th year working in education, and her fourth at Parkway.
Each educator at the school is taking part in a "One Word Challenge," where they each selected a single word to be their focus for this school year.
Allen chose the word "thrive."
"We're going to thrive this year," she said. "We had a great year last year, and I'm looking forward to a great year this year. It's going to be a little different, but children are adaptable, and we've been adaptable. Education hasn't stopped.
"We want to be the best class, the best school, the best district," Allen added. "And then ultimately, these are going to be the best children."
As students returned to school on Monday morning, they entered the buildings and met their teachers for the first time. Annual open house events, originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, were canceled after several cases of COVID-19 were discovered among students taking part in summer activities and teachers preparing for the start of school.
During a special called meeting, Monday afternoon, the Tupelo Public School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to require face masks for all students and staff, reversing a previous policy that would have made masks optional as the school year began.
The decision followed guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Mississippi State Department of Health recommending all students, staff and visitors wear a mask indoors at K-12 schools.
Despite the change in plans, the masks didn't seem to stifle the excitement of the day.
Carmen Gary is beginning her fifth year as principal of the school, which has around 400 students in kindergarten through second grade. As she watched new and returning students flow into the building, Gary said she knows students are excited to be in school.
One of her goals for the year is to help students grow academically and emotionally. She hopes to offer support to them and their families to make the school year a success for everyone.
The word Gary selected to focus on for the year is "purpose."
"I want to be purposeful in what I do to provide support to everyone that's involved with Parkway, whether it be teachers, students, office staff, parents, the community," Gary said. "I just want everything that I do to be purposeful."
Second grade teacher Jennifer Fulgham began teaching in 2009 and came to Parkway three years later. She's taught there since.
Fulgham moved from first to second grade this year, so she knows quite a few of the students in her class already.
"I'm excited to be back because I already have a relationship with these kids," Fulgham said. "I taught summer school this summer, the whole month of June, so really it just feels like I had a little Christmas break and I'm back because I already know them."
Fulgham's focus word this year is "intentional."
"I want to be intentional with my words, intentional with my actions, intentional with helping others, intentional with helping the kids be their best selves, to succeed," Fulgham said.
One of Fulgham's students, Emmie Reese Brown, a 7-year-old second grader, said her goal for the year is "to get smarter and accomplish more things."
Over the summer, she missed her friends and especially her first grade teacher — Ms. Fulgham, who will teach her this year in second grade, too.
Sam Kendrick, an 8-year-old second grader at Parkway, was glad to be back in school. He missed his friend Mason and going to PE class the most over summer break.
"I'm really excited," Kendrick said. "It feels really good to be back. I'm most excited to have new classmates and new friends. It's going to be a good year."
