Big smiles on the faces of students, parents, teachers and staff marked Tuesday’s first day of school at Julius E. Sprauve School in Cruz Bay.
“I’m way beyond excited. They came in this morning so eager to go. First grade is amazing,” said Tracey Maish, a new Sprauve first-grade teacher.
At the start of the last school year, a Guy Benjamin School teacher along with the kindergarten and first-grade classes moved to Sprauve because some Guy Benjamin classes were too small and the Education Department had a teacher shortage. One of those teachers, third-grade teacher Jeune Provost, acknowledged that change is difficult. However, she was philosophical about it.
“I really want to make a difference. A building is just a building,” she said.
Guy Benjamin School was closed in June at the end of the school year, and Guy Benjamin teacher Brenda Brown is now at Sprauve.
She and Provost are team teaching, a concept that’s been around for years but new to these two teachers.
“I’m teaching math, science and social studies,” Brown said, adding that Provost is teaching language arts and reading.
Nancy Liburd is back teaching music at Sprauve after living on the mainland for many years. Standing in the office amid the first-day-of-school hubbub, she was quick to recognize one of her former second-grade students who was there with his daughter, sixth-grader Liv Peltier.
“I don’t know what to say,” a flabbergasted Edward Peltier said when Liburd remembered him.
The two reminisced briefly.
Liburd said she was pleased that Sprauve had a slot for a music teacher in the budget because that wasn’t the case at all schools.
“I want them to understand their culture first and then world culture,” she said.
As for the students, many bubbled over with enthusiasm.
“I like school because it teaches you to be smarter. Without school, we wouldn’t be smart,” said 8-year-old Joshua Kelly.
Oscar Cueto, also 8, was equally enthused. He said going to school made him talented.
“And I like science, social studies and math. I like it all,” Cueto said.
Several parents said they were pleased with the way things were at Sprauve. It was a trip down memory lane for Tasheda Hill, who attended the school as a child and now sends her two daughters to the school.
The reports from Principal Dionne Wells and Assistant Principal Lisa Penn were equally encouraging. Wells said she was still short a grades four, five and six math teacher, as well as a physical education teacher, but she was hopeful.
“I’m about to make a call to human resources to see if a possible candidate will work out,” Wells said.
