Cameras were clicking and flashes flashing on Tuesday. For many children — and parents — the first day of school is a major event of their lives. Surrendering a child at a young age to the custody of strangers is a giant leap. Yet, there were very few tears and most children seemed to take willingly to the beginning of a new or continuing school experience.
And while the middle and high-schoolers have been down this road before, there were still a few bewildered looks as they tried to determine where their classes were — or in some cases — their schedule.
Dr. Jack Dale, superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools, spent most of the morning in Mount Vernon, visiting Mount Vernon High School, Walt Whitman Middle School, Hybla Valley Elementary School and West Potomac High School.
"I'm glad to be able to visit the schools I haven't been to yet," Dale said.
With this round of visits, he has now seen all of the high schools, half the middle schools and many of the elementary schools.
As he looks forward to a new school year, he said, "We will continue the quality work Eric [Brent] and others have done in their schools. We had a big jump in IB and AP enrollment and the SAT results are positive. This is good because I'm more concerned about preparing students for post high school — you don't stop learning in high school."