By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

CALERA – After a summer full of fun, Calera Elementary School opened its doors on Thursday, Aug. 8 for the first day of school.

Students and teachers bustled around the school as they walked through their daily schedules. From getting to know each other to getting to know the school, children had a day full of discovery as they experienced the first day of a new school year.

“I’m always excited about the newness that a new year brings,” Principal Shannon Montgomery said. “I’m just so looking forward to the growth that we see from the first day of kindergarten from students who don’t have a clue about how to walk in a line to how they end up in May.”

Behind the scenes, teachers and staff members at CES have been hard at work to prepare for the arrival of new students. After weeks of lesson planning and decorating classrooms, teachers welcomed their new students on the first day of school.

“There’s so many things that are involved in opening a school that have just really been stressful, but these faces coming in this building have made it all worth it,” Montgomery said. “Teachers have put in a lot of time getting their classrooms ready to make things warm and inviting and exciting for their students.”

While there are a lot of new things at the start of the school year, Montgomery shared that one thing always stays the same: Calera Elementary School’s commitment to ensuring student success.

“Our goals for this year, just like any other year, is for our students to succeed in every area,” Montgomery said. “Not just academics, but to succeed in the social aspects of their lives, in their emotional wellbeing. We just look for the overall success of every little person in this building. That’s what matters to me.”

Montgomery acknowledged that success looks different for every student, but she believes it’s her job to ensure that CES meets every student’s need.

“Everybody grows differently, but when they come in this building, whatever they need, we want to see if we can fulfill those needs,” Montgomery said. “We will do our very best to make sure they are very successful here. They’re our little eagles. We want them to soar.”

Those interested in learning more about Calera Elementary School can visit Shelbyed.k12.al.us/o/ces/.