Wayne County schools host open house events
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 25, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Rayvetta Atkinson signs in seventh-grader Trinity Smith at the booth set up in the lobby for chorus teacher Skip Morris during open house at Eastern Wayne Middle School Wednesday night. Trinity started taking chorus last year and plans to try out for honors chorus this year.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Eighth-grader Sanaa Raynor-Lucas gets a look at the list of students in her homeroom to find her friends as she and her family attend the Eastern Wayne Middle School open house.
Eastern Wayne Middle School Principal Cathy Fulcher was stationed by the entrance of the school, greeting new students and parents and welcoming back returnees to Wednesday evening's open house.
It was her second such event, having hosted a version for incoming sixth-graders the previous night.
Both evenings had a good turnout, she said, streamlined by something she introduced five or six years ago.
"We send schedules home in the mail so that they can bring it with them and parents can follow it when they get here. And they'll know what it is before they even get here," she said. "It really has made it smoother."
Splitting up open house into two nights also had other advantages.
"One is the traffic and parking," she said. "And we can give more attention to sixth-graders because they're going to have more questions. They don't know the facility.
"I love splitting it up. The teachers do, too."
Taylor Ahrens, a seventh-grader, was navigating the halls with his parents, Allen and Daphne Haynes, who admitted they both were a little nervous about the occasion.
The jury was still out on Taylor's excitement level at this point, he said.
Eighth-grader Dennis Lynn also had mixed feelings about classes resuming, but was on board with being there for open house.
"For me, I just come here like to see my friends, to look for my classes so I won't be confused the first day of school," he said.
Michelle Gurley, a counselor at Meadow Lane Elementary School, readily admitted she was not in any hurry to get back to the routine -- plus has the added challenge of helping her three daughters return to a better sleep schedule.
She was there with two of her children, Caroline, a seventh-grader at EWM, and Morgan, a 10th-grader at Eastern Wayne High, where they were headed next for her open house. Each had their own things to look forward to at their respective schools.
For Caroline, it was the electives -- home economics and computers.
Morgan had a more delayed reaction.
"Second semester," she said. "I'll have all easy classes."
And Future Farmers of America, or FFA, she added, which she plans to join.
"I'm going to be an officer," she said. "There's a spot open and I'm taking it."
The open house is also an opportunity for teachers to work out the jitters and meet families in a more relaxed setting.
Anderson Barnes, business technology teacher, is in his third year at the school. He is also juggling 4-month-old twins -- he and his wife, Danielle, had two daughters, Emma and Sophia -- and he pastors a church in Bailey.
Elda Beneditti is starting her first year at EWM, a native of Venezuela who previously worked at Mount Olive Middle School.
"I came over here to teach, so I'm teaching Spanish and ESL (English as a Second Language)," she said. Her role also includes doing home visits and translating for parents and others at the school.
She said she was glad to have the open house in advance of school starting on Monday.
"First of all, I want to greet parents because it's my first year," she said. "Second, I would like that they would know that I share my culture.
"If we can talk a little bit in Spanish, it would be awesome."
Over at Rosewood High School, marketing and career development coordinator DeDe Stone was waiting for students to stop in and find out more about what to expect in the fall.
Juniors Anthony Hines and Joseph Fuller also arrived early, to pick up schedules and meet their new teachers, they said.
Cathy Pijanowki -- "Everyone calls me Mrs. P" -- is in her third year at the school, working in the office.
It had already been a busy day at the school, as new freshman orientation started at noon.
"This is the first year we have ever done it," she said, estimating the incoming ninth-grade class had more than 100 students.
"We fed them lunch, had teambuilding activities, they did personality trait (exercises) and they went through the handbooks and policies," said principal Karen Rogers. "We showed them where their classes were.
"We had probably about 70 show up."
Allecia Langdon was among the freshmen who participated.
"It was fun," she said. "We did a lot of talking. I feel like I made a lot of friends."
Upperclassmen Hannah Lewis, a senior, and Jacob Hinson, a junior, stood out in their dark blue corduroy FFA jackets.
"I'm the FFA secretary, and he's the FFA president," Lewis said. "We're here to be working, show the kids what FFA is all about.
"We're the FFA family -- it's in the name FFA-M-I-L-Y."
In addition to enlisting, and increasing, interest and membership in the school club, the officers said they were also there to welcome students, especially those new this year.
"My first year I was freaking out," Lewis said. "We want to make sure they don't have that experience."
Wayne County Public Schools held the bulk of its open house events for middle and high schools on Wednesday.
The elementary schools held their open house events Thursday evening.