New School Year for Gwinnett Students

It was a flurry of activity this morning in Snellville as students across Gwinnett County prepared for their first day of school. Patch was at Snellville Middle to catch all of the back-to-school action. 

Students began arriving on buses around 8:45 a.m. and transportation supervisor Glenda Porter was there to greet students on their first day.

"The buses are only ten minutes behind schedule, which is really good for the first day," said Porter. She and Diane Moore, a teacher at Snellville Middle, helped to direct school buses and general traffic.

This year the school will be educating 865 students, a higher number than their initial student body projection of 840. For Principal Eric Thigpen the first day of school is always filled with excitement.

"Middle school students are truly in the middle," said Thigpen. "You never know whether they will be excited or not but the school year is always a great time."

Thigpen and today marked his official first day of school at Snellville Middle. While Thigpen has become adjusted, there is another new face at the school. 

Michael Woodward is the new intervention specialist at Snellville Middle. Woodward will be helping to provide students with mentoring in and outside of the classroom. 

"I'll be there to help students with certain skills such as test-taking, interviewing or oratorical," said Woodward. "This is the first year that we're doing a program like this and we hope to be able to give students the support they need."

Woodward's role as an intervention specialist is not only new to Snellville Middle but also Gwinnett County, the middle school is the first within the county to offer such a program.

While the administration was excited about the first day, some students were ambivalent. Katie-Joi Robinson who arrived at school with her mother Carolyn McNair was hesitant about her first day.

"Not only is this her first day at school but it's her first year at this school," said McNair.Robinson will be a seventh grader.

While Snellville Middle students get settled into their classrooms and receive their locker assignments the school's staff of 100 will be looking toward the future. 

"Every parent brings their child to school with hopes and dreams for their education," said Thigpen. "It's our job as educators to make sure that each child accomplishes those dreams."