With the final week of summer approaching, the St. Clair community, students and parents, and the staff anxiously welcome the start of the 2023-2024 school year with bated breath. Construction projects had made the building a shell of itself for much of the summer as the Commons area had received a makeover and additional space with a vestibule, several new classrooms had been built, and new teachers were hired to fill those rooms. Other projects have made the past two years at St. Clair a testament to the sudden growth in enrollment for the district.
In celebration of the looming nine-month marathon called the school year, the St. Clair PTO organized the Back to School Bash on Wednesday, August 29, to provide an opportunity for the Cyclone community to catch up after a summer-long break away from each other, fill up on pizza, get themselves organized for the school year, and if their aim was good enough, they could dunk a teacher into an icy pool of water. Traditionally, the welcome back to school events for St. Clair were known as “Ice Cream Socials.” While the turnout for them was great, PTO President Casey Stori explained the Back to School Bash was a way to “get more kids to come out and connect” as a series of kids games and a bounce house offered the elementary students a chance to play.
One of the main purposes of the Back to School Bash was to provide students at St. Clair with a chance to be as prepared as they can be for the first day of school. School Board Treasurer Karen Hauser and 7-12 Principal Troy Guentzel were some of the first faces the St. Clair community met as two welcomed students and parents with salutations and a folder filled with all of the pertinent information for the upcoming year, such as a class schedule, locker assignments, and other pertinent documents. Bingo cards were also handed out to incoming students, with each space representing a particular task, such as “Pick up Student ID in the Office” or “Register for a Chromebook in the Media Center.” Students would be awarded a prize for completing the tasks and acquiring a bingo.
The HS Office staff carried the brunt of the workload as a line of eager students and patient parents stretched far and wide as they waited to acquire their official School ID, which will be vital to access home sporting events free of charge. Once students received their folders and Student ID, they got acclimated to their class schedule, found their lockers, met their teachers, and caught up with old friends. In addition to learning the best route from one class to the next, the incoming students registered for their Chromebooks at the Media Center; 240 computers were leased for grades 1-12.
With much of the construction inside the school complete, a newly revamped Commons area with an added space took many by surprise as the room was bathed in sunlight, and a stylish Cyclones logo at both entrances received praise from students and parents alike. It really blew them away. (I couldn’t help myself.) Scattered about the Commons area were small hubs for extracurricular activities like speech, theater, or Student Council, while another table gave returning students a chance to pick up completed yearbooks for the 2023-2024 school year. Much of the staff welcomed students and parents as the hallways were filled with conversations about summer vacation, the recent weather, and what they believe the school year will bring. New teachers Jared Siebert and Emma Winkelman received hearty support from an enthusiastic Cyclones community.
While there was undoubtedly a frenzy of activity happening inside the school, there was plenty of chaos ensuing outside as the Bash portion of Back to School gave students, parents, and the community a chance to unwind, eat some pizza, and maybe dunk your principal into a pool of murky water…five times. The St. Clair PTO provided a bounce house, obstacle course, face painting, and concessions and kept younger kids and their parents occupied. Tables for the Athletic Backers, PTO, and other organizations close to the Cyclone community were also available for parents and community members to consider joining. The PTO has shown a resurgence in the Cyclone community over the past few years, and Stori helped lead their table as they sold Cyclone merchandise and welcomed anyone to become a member of the PTO. Meetings would be held on the first Sunday of every month, and member engagement comes with no expectations other than “what you want to put into it,” according to Stori.
The crown jewel of the Bash was a classic withstood the test of time as a means of entertainment–a dunk tank. It is oddly satisfying to be able to dunk someone you know into an icy pool of water and watch the shock on their face as they plummet down. Now, imagine that person is the Elementary principal of the school your child attends…well, now you’re getting the fastball down the chute. Nadine Holland seemed more than happy to volunteer her time for a dunk tank during the Bash…a bit too chipper about it if you ask me. However, other volunteers like kindergarten teacher Mrs. Haller endured the onslaught of some young kids and one adult-sized reporter with cannons for arms. Holland got dunked several times, and each time was a thrill. She noted these early memories of the school year would be “the stuff that people will reminisce about when we reach the end of the school year. Being able to let loose with the staff and come together as a community means so much to us.”
The Back to School Bash was an excellent opportunity for students and parents to get a headstart on the start of the school year, for teachers and staff to meet new and familiar faces, and to show off the new duds on the school grounds. While it has been two years of upheaval and a tidal wave of changes in the making, the 2024-2025 school year at St. Clair looks to be another promising year for a district on the rise. Go Cyclones!
