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Park City Elementary teachers pose for a photo. Submitted

Park City Elementary ‘Back to School Bash’ welcomes new students and sees alumni return

Aug 2, 2023 | 10:05 PM

By GAGE WILSON
Glasgow News 1

Parents and students of Park City Elementary are not the only ones getting ready for the new school year. Teachers and administrative staff welcomed the more than 400 students from preschool to sixth grade that the school served at their “Back to School Bash” Tuesday evening, Aug.1.

Teachers have worked diligently to provide students with a safe and comfortable education environment.
Gage Wilson/Glasgow News 1

“Usually, in our classroom, we see about 15 to 20 children, but I still see kids I had years ago that come up and give me a hug,” Ben Gassaway said. He’s a preschool teacher at the school.

Gassaway spent the last weeks of his summer decorating his classroom to optimize his students’ education with sensory and social tools.

“We’re still trying to recover from COVID, so teaching our kids social skills has been priority. An incentive I’ve used is the ‘Super Friend’, a student that embodies the compassion and care that we try to instill,” he said.

The “Super Friend” cape is worn by those students who exhibit empathy and leadership skills among their peers, and act as a sort of role model to other students.

Parents and their children inquisitive about the new school year line up in the Park City school’s gym. Gage Wilson/Glasgow News 1

Moving through the school, students lined up with their parents around the gym getting information on classes and schedules. Staffing some of the booths were former Park City students.

“I decided to go into early childhood development and education,” Courtney Scoggins, a Park City alumnus said. “I’ve actually subbed out here a couple times, it’s crazy … coming back as a teacher.”

She said that all of the teachers were wonderful, but the staff that she respected the most, an often overlooked position, was the custodian.

As the event drew to a close, the alumni made it clear: “Once a Bear, always a Bear.”

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