Celebrating the first day
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on August 29, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Students arrive at Dillard Middle School Monday morning while being greeted with high fives, handshakes and hugs from members of the community.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Students at Dillard Middle School are welcomed back to school on their first day with handshakes and hugs.
When students at Dillard Middle School arrived for their first day of class Monday, their community came with them.
Dozens of community members, Mayor Chuck Allen and several law enforcement officers gathered at Dillard Monday morning to welcome the arriving students to their first day. Forming a human tunnel around the lobby doors, they clapped and cheered as the throng of kids came through, giving high-fives and shouts of encouragement to anyone within reach.
Delavishia Faison was one of the primary organizers behind the event, as well as a similar event at Goldsboro High School earlier in August. She said that making students feel welcomed and loved on their first day of middle school was particularly important.
"For me, this is where it starts for the students," she said. "When they get to high school, sometimes they're already set in their ways. In middle school you can really touch their hearts."
Faison said she was encouraged by the turnout at GHS, and was excited to see the kids at Dillard get the same treatment. Mark Colebrook, who organized the event with her, said this was just the start.
"This is only the beginning of what we're doing," he said. "We hope this is the spark for people in the community to come out and do whatever they can for the kids."
Those kids came through the doors soon both from buses and walking in from outside. They passed through slowly, some smiling wide and others just looking around to take in the moment. School faculty and staff helped guide them around, as students scampered down hallways and between buildings. At one point, a group of four girls stopped in the hallway, shrieking in delight as they reunited.
People in crowd soon began to clap in unison, as Colebrook shook every hand he could get a hold of.
He smiled as he looked a sixth-grade student in the eye.
"Welcome to middle school, my man," he said. "You're going to have a great year."