The summer was boring and they missed their friends were among the reasons students across St. John said they were glad to be back in school.
“School gives you an education so when you grow up you can be whatever you want to be,” Mekala Thompson, 8 and starting fourth grade at Guy Benjamin School, added,
Back to school on St. John, like the rest of the territory, was three days late but officials said there were only a few unresolved issues. At Julius E. Sprauve School, Assistant Principal Brenda Dalmida said the school could use a new building and a location out of Cruz Bay’s noise, but that challenge would be resolved “on broader shoulders” than hers.
At Guy Benjamin, principal Dionne Wells said a bit of work needs to be done on the school’s roof, but the passage of Hurricane Earl called a halt to that job.
On the subject of Earl, she gave high marks to the Public Works Department crew and the V.I. Water and Power Authority for quickly fixing hurricane-related problems at the school. On Tuesday, a utility pole was down at the school, but that was back in place Thursday morning.
At Sprauve School, Assistant Principal Brenda Dalmida said there were no repair or maintenance issues.
Both principals said they had a full complement of staff.
Sprauve has 230 students and Guy Benjamin, 114. Wells said that for the first time in many years, the kindergarten class was filled up with 21 students.
While all the students, teachers and other staff members were upbeat, both Dalmida and Wells had stern messages for the students and their parents gathered at morning assemblies.
“We don’t expect you to come in here and be a bully,” Wells said.
Some parents teach their children to fight back when someone picks a fight with them, but Wells said the child should ask a teacher or other adult staff member for help rather than responding.
Wells told students that if they misbehaved on the school bus, they would face suspension.
Wells also had plenty of other instructions for the students and parents, but most importantly, she called for parental involvement.
“You’ve got to make time to come to school and be involved,” Wells said.
Both Wells and Dalmida said they welcomed visits from parents.
At Sprauve, Dalmida stressed proficiency in math and reading.
“We’re committed to make sure they can read by third grade,” she said.