Day Of School

When lawmakers added a pair of vaccinations two years ago to the list of those schoolchildren are required to get, they thought there would be plenty of time for everyone to get their proper shots. But when a deadline passed last week, 12,000 students without proof of the hepatitis B and chickenpox vaccines were excluded from school - despite a three-month extension and two-week grace period. Officials were left scrambling to get the students into compliance, while scratching their heads to figure out what went wrong.

A discussion about a pending renovation project and sewage problems at Mount Hebron attracted more than 200 people to the high school's auditorium for two hours Monday evening. Top school system administrators favor a $49.8 million plan that would include mechanical upgrades, full systemic renovations and an expansion of the school's art, athletic and administrative offices. But concerned parents wanted the school system to further investigate other options, according to Cindy Arlinger, the Mount Hebron PTSA president, who attended the meeting.

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- For 16-year-old Ivan Najman, this is the year bombs replaced books, history came to life and summer vacation seemed to drag on forever.When NATO went to war against Yugoslavia, Ivan and tens of thousands of other young people found themselves living what might be called a student dream -- no more school.Yet after seven weeks of sitting at home, watching television and playing soccer with only a few neighborhood friends, Ivan yearns to attend classes.School is out for summer.

MOSCOW -- They started school in the Soviet Union and now are graduating in Russia. While their country endured coups, the collapse of communism, parliamentary rebellions and the rise and fall of great economic aspirations, they were doing something more momentous: growing up and getting an education.The last school bell rang in Moscow last week for 60,000 members of the high school class of 1999, and ceremonies at each of 1,400 schools offered the emerging young adults a moment to contemplate what lay ahead and to reflect on what was past.

City crossing guard Doris Monroe could tell it was the last day of school. A familiar quiet -- many pupils apparently decided to begin summer vacation a day early -- was clearly present at Harlem Park Middle School yesterday. But that did not stop Monroe from assuming her post at North Gilmor Street and Harlem Avenue.Miss Monroe, as she is affectionately called, has been a guard at the same corner for 36 years.She has no intention of retiring soon.She has guided two generations of families across the street to Harlem Park middle and elementary schools and has become a surrogate mother to hundreds of children.

Nearly everyone can recall a first day of school, walking into a new classroom dressed in a smart-looking outfit and spiffy shoes and carrying a book bag full of supplies.Shepherd's Staff, an ecumenical ministry to the needy, wants to guarantee those memories for the many children whose parents can't afford the expenses associated with the opening of school.With its fifth annual Back to School program, the Westminster center expects to give away nearly 1,000 school kits and several hundred backpacks.

BOSTON -- So this is how we mark the first day of school now. At Allen High in suburban Dallas, students enter through a metal detector. In Williams Bay, Wisc., an entire school role-plays a mock invasion by student gunmen.In the old days, we got new-teacher jitters and new-friend butterflies. Today kids are taught to worry about violence and trench-coat mafias. Even the president tells parents to talk with their kids about school -- not about their achievement, but about their safety.In the wake of the Columbine High School massacre, we have not only lost track of the facts -- school violence is down, not up -- but we have reacted by making schools increasingly isolated from their communities.

SCHOOL REFORM generally boasts all the stability of a human pyramid built on an ice rink. Sudden movement in any direction can bring the whole thing tumbling down.In Detroit and Cleveland, they're learning that lesson the hard way this week, as both cities suffer through unexpected decisions that threaten to topple their school reform efforts.But those cities' misfortunes make the relatively normal re-opening of Baltimore's public schools this week that much more delightful. For now, at least, Baltimore appears to be holding its tenuous school reform together.

The Howard County school board voted last night to require students to attend classes a half-day on April 16 to make up for Wednesday's snow day.The students would have been off that day because of parent-teacher conferences.The board's action means that spring break won't be delayed by one day or the school year extended a day.Board member Jane B. Schuchardt, acting on a recommendation made to her by a teacher, proposed the solution to Superintendent Michael E. Hickey yesterday.Hickey said he was looking for a solution to a "no-win situation."

THE FIRST day of school rather than the first day of the new year has always meant a fresh start to me.Nothing seems as "new" on Jan. 1 as it does on Sept. 1: new shoes; stiff, new jeans; a clean backpack; a fresh haircut; unsharpened pencils, fresh paper. What does New Year's Day have to compare with these things?My back-to-school days are far behind me, but my children approach the first day of school with a kind of anticipation matched only by Christmas Day, and their excitement vibrates in some long forgotten place inside of me.Like them, I begin each new school year with fresh resolutions.

Chances are, students and parents caught a glimpse of a high-ranking school system employee or elected official Monday in a tradition that aims to have every one of Howard County's 72 schools visited on the first day. "We really like to take out the elected officials and let them be a part of the excitement that we feel on the first day," said schools spokeswoman Patti Caplan. "It is a wonderful, inspiring time to visit the schools." Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board Chairman Frank Aquino were among the officials visiting schools, including Hammond Elementary in Laurel.

Christinia Armstrong, a music teacher and PTA president at Hammond Elementary School in Laurel, stood amid a cluster of African drums looking for the proper one to play for Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board chairman Frank Aquino. She grabbed an hourglass-shaped drum, positioned it under her arm and rhythmically gave it a series of bops with her right hand. "Good morning," she said as she matched each syllable to each hand tap. "This is why they call it the African talking drum."

She sat at the steering wheel, her face as eager as a student's on her first day of class. Susan Keyes has been driving bus No. 860 for Harford County public schools for seven years, and at 6:20 a.m. Thursday, she idled the big engine in front of the spanking-new Bel Air High School. She was waiting for Robert Tomback, the new superintendent, to get on. It was the first day of the new school year, and it all had a bittersweet feel. To her left, Keyes could see the partially disassembled husk of the old Bel Air High, which is slated for demolition next week.

Baltimore County students entering middle and high school have until Friday to confirm that they are, in fact, area residents - or face being withdrawn, according to school officials. "We just want everybody to get this done so it will be one less thing they have to worry about as they go back to school," said Charles A. Herndon, a district spokesman. Now in its second year, the residency verification policy was designed, at least in part, to prevent students who live outside the county from enrolling - and to help schools maintain accurate student records.

School officials expected - and received - a sizable reaction from parents as the school board considered a proposal to shorten spring break. The school system was inundated with some 200 e-mails concerning the proposal, and opinions ran the gamut, spokeswoman Patti Caplan said. "The good thing is that people are responding electronically," she said. "It's great to have the option of people responding electronically." Now, the break is six days - Monday through Friday and the following Monday.

School officials say they expect resistance from parents in the coming weeks as the school board contemplates a proposal to shorten spring break. Now the break is six days - Monday through Friday and the following Monday. Under the proposed change, the new break would run three days - Thursday, Friday and the following Monday. Officials say the change is in response to several factors, including a desire to shorten the school year, a need to create more time for summer construction projects, a need to add instruction days leading up to the High School Assessments and more time at the end of the school year so parents and students can plan to pursue summer school courses.

On their first day of school, the 28 students at Harford Friends School never saw a desk, textbook, or whiteboard. Instead, the middle school children went to an outdoor learning center, where they spent the day rock climbing, problem-solving, and team building. "We bring our students here to give them a safe environment for taking healthy risks," said Jonathan Huxtable, Harford Friends head of school. "It's neat to watch the eighth-graders step up and take the lead." Since the school's inception four years ago, students have been going to the Genesee Valley Outdoor Learning Center in Parkton on the first day of school.

Chances are, at least one top-ranking school system official visited at least one of the 72 county schools on the first day of school. Members of the school system brass paired with elected representatives and other county officials and toured clusters of schools Monday, a practice that has become an annual ritual. In addition to school system administrators, state and county elected officials and school board members got in on the opening-day tours. Among the pairings and the schools they visited: Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin paired with school board Chairman Frank Aquino.

Marriotts Ridge to hold ArtFest today The National Art Honor Society of Marriotts Ridge High School will present its first ArtsFest, including activities, acoustic music and a large art display, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. today in the school commons area. To celebrate Earth Day, ArtsFest will sell "green" products: recycled tote bags and other items; proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund. Tickets are $2 at the door. Information: Caroline Kessler, carolinekessler@gmail.com. Education board hosts coffee chats The Board of Education holds Coffee & Conversation sessions at schools throughout the county.

Students and parents weren't the only ones walking around the hallways with wide eyes Monday. The first day of classes attracted a slew of visits to schools by top-ranking system administrators, most of whom brought elected officials with them. "These are stakeholders in our school system; they provide our funding," said spokeswoman Patti Caplan. "We want them to see firsthand how we are using the funds they allocate for education. Plus, it's fun for them to see what is going on in the schools."