The First Day of School

It’s dark and quiet in the halls. Lockers are shining, cleaned by previous students. The lights are blinking, and as they come on, they reveal pristine walls and floors swept of the midyear clutter. A few teachers and staff are unlocking doors to classrooms and adding a few finishing touches, Some take deep breaths, preparing for another rushing year, and so glad that year will be spent here. Others get ready to meet many new faces with this year’s new teachers. Although it’s still an early morning, all are conscious that this day is special.

It’s the first day of school.

Students are bustling in, and the doors seem to bulge at their seams as more enter at a breakneck pace. There are the school veterans, the Seniors, entering for their final year at Calvary, and shy young children clinging to their mothers legs. Other kids clutch new backpacks and lunch-boxes, not quite sure what to do until Mrs. Vantine and Mrs. Kapanka usher them into their new classrooms. These are the Preschoolers and Kindergardeners, small children ready to begin years of learning. They will grow to love the rooms toys, colors, and their beloved teachers in this coming year.

On the other end of the school, the middle schoolers get their schedules and head to their lockers. For some, this is their first time not having one specific class. As they meet their homeroom teachers, some begin to lose their nervousness. Throughout the day, they become increasingly bold until they feel like they belong.

Spread across the school, another group opens newly assigned lockers. They are the high-schoolers preparing for what is for some, their final year at Calvary. For some, this is their first Senior High year. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors alike, all know that tomorrow will be the start of their High School Retreat at Spring Hill Camps. For now, it’s a mixture of syllabi, old and new faces, and even a little homework for a few.

One more group smiles and greets new faces.The staff of Calvary Christian Schools get ready for the jobs they love. We thank them for all their work and support. As Mrs. Vantine smiles down at little Kindergardeners, Mrs. Anderson shows third graders to their desks, Mrs. Stenberg greets Middle Schoolers, and Mr. Langdon meets the new and old High Schoolers, there stand a conspicuous pair of shoes standing on a bookshelf.

The shoes stand out, They’re tall high-heels, a shining blue. They’re not your average shoes... Just like the person who once wore them..

They are a memorial of sorts to Mrs. Meyer. Just days before school began, She passed away. The shoes stand to remind everyone of her, her joy, her humor, the life the provided to everyone around her... It may seem impossible to fill those shoes, but we have another chapter ahead of us. Yet stronger than any shoes are the memories she left behind. As students pass her classroom, or sit in classes that were once hers, they will remember. And as a whole, the students and staff of Calvary Christian Schools say...

Thank You
Mrs. Meyer

- Alex Anhalt, Freshman