Karnisha Grubbs hugged her nephew, Tyaire Swisher, 5, near the entrance of Middlebury Academy, a charter school located in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood.
Three miles away, Superintendent Mary Outley and Gilby, the super-sized, spotted mascot of Akron Public Schools, welcomed students to Findley Community Learning Center with high-fives and shakes from a red pom-pom.
Later in the morning, sixth grader Aliance Gloria — confident and cheerful — raised her hand with a smile at Jennings Community Learning Center. She had answers.
Classrooms across the Akron area on Thursday morning celebrated a new school year of learning with hellos and hugs, basketball and balloons, music and mascots set up by teachers and administrators.
Students in other schools, including Walsh Jesuit, returned to classrooms earlier in the week.
“I love the excitement,” said Outley, who is entering her first full school year as Akron’s public schools leader. “I love seeing the students back, and they are so geared up, ready to learn.”
She spent part of Thursday morning popping in and out of different classrooms, hyping up students and teachers.
“Welcome to Jennings!” Outley said to one group of students. “Welcome to the APS family!”
Akron Public Schools is expected to serve more than 20,000 students this school year in more than 40 buildings.
Jennings CLC: Home of Akron’s diversity and at least one mad scientist
“Jambo!” said one student at Jennings CLC, a common greeting in Swahili.
“Buenos dias!” said another in Spanish.
Students in Akron’s public school system speak 49 languages, including English. At Jennings CLC alone, students speak 22 languages.
In one of the school’s classrooms, Wanda Johnson, donned a bright green wig fit for a mad scientist. Meanwhile, her sixth grade science class wore oversized lab coats. The attire was part of Johnson’s strategy to get students excited about frog dissections and microscope examinations.
Bouncing backpacks and big hugs at Findley CLC
At Findley CLC, anxious glances transformed into excited smiles as students reunited with friends while music boomed outside the school. Parents escorted some students, while others skipped confidently toward the entrance, oversized backpacks in tow.
Students squealed with excitement as they received hugs and high fives from the furry and feathered duo of Gilby and Findley Falcon, the school’s mascot.
Religious service and strong academics drive the mission at Walsh Jesuit
In Mary Kate Glowe’s paschal mystery class for high school sophomores — a theology course on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — about 22 students stood in a circle, sharing facts about themselves. The exercise helped Glowe and her students to get to know each other.
At least two students said they were able to do “gainers” — think forward-moving backflips — into a pool. One student admitted he cut his finger in an active blender.
Glowe asked if he knew it was on. He did, to the amusement of some classmates.
Over the next few years, the teenagers will spend a lot of time together. Glowe said it’s important that they feel comfortable with each other.
“That’s when the real learning happens,” she said.
Crossover dribbles and expectations at Middlebury Academy
You can’t miss Breaon Brady. At Middlebury Academy, he’s the dean of students, a towering, former professional basketball player who spent Thursday morning greeting students with a basketball in hand — connecting with them one crossover dribble at a time.
Some students, mostly boys, challenged him while waiting in line to enter the school. But Brady still has it, and none of them got the better of him.
A couple years after playing professional basketball overseas, the graduate of Ellet Community Learning Center traded in his jersey for a collared shirt, his basketball teammates for a squad of teachers, all with the goal of improving the Middlebury neighborhood and its little locals.
“All of our teachers, man, they’re hungry, they’re happy, they’re energized, and they want to see a different Middlebury,” Brady said.
The charter school serves kindergarten through eighth grade students.
Principal Dominique Pugh stood nearby. At one point, she greeted second grader Serenity Grayes, 7, with a hug.
“I want to bring a joy back for teachers and scholars,” Pugh said.
