Wasatch County School District has figured out that just because summer must come to an end doesn’t mean fun has to as well. Its schools welcomed each age group Monday morning for their first day back with music, style and cheer.
The school year started bright and early Monday morning at Timpanogos Middle School, where the district brought in a band of bagpipers — the Salt Lake Scots — to help students live up to their Highlander mascots as they arrived.
Gordon Atkin, a member of the group, lives in Heber Valley near the school and said the annual opportunity has become a fun event for the kilt-clad clan ever since the school’s principal, Jim Judd, reached out a handful of years ago.
“I was able to convince our band to come up and make this part of our annual gigs that we do every year,” he said. “Bagpipes, they have a way of just grabbing your attention because they’re so loud. So I think the noise grabs the kids’ attention, and because it’s become an annual thing, I think kids recognize that it’s not just about coming to school, but it’s about a new start as well.”
The traditional, powerful blast of music did make the mundane procedure of kids walking from their parents’ cars into the building feel more meaningful, more serene.
Judd took note. He told Atkin the band’s presence changes the atmosphere and, consequently, the outlook on the school year.
“Most of us didn’t realize that the name of the mascot was the Highlanders,” Atkin said. “It’s nice to tie the bagpipes to the mascot of the school.”
While Atkin and his band bagged and piped away, the youngest group of students that will attend Wasatch County High School — the freshmen — shuffled through the doors and into the thrills and anxieties of high school.
Though Monday was the first day of school in the district, the sophomores, juniors and seniors get an extra day added onto their break. Monday was all about the freshmen, and the high school’s staff and student leaders guided them into the auditorium when they arrived.
Principal Justin Kelly took to the stage and — with more energy than most could muster before 9 a.m. — showed them the school’s song, though his rendition focused on volume and force to perhaps the expense of melody.
The students didn’t seem to mind, rising from their seats and echoing the nearly indiscernible words back to their principal with enthusiasm that rivaled his, but never matched it.
From there, they were sectioned off into different groups and led to different areas of the school to become familiar with what Wasatch High has to offer before they share the halls with upperclassmen.
Logan Ritchie, now a member of the student council who helped freshmen around the school, reflected on when he was in their shoes a few years ago.
“It’s weird because I remember the nerves I was feeling the first day, and now you come and you realize everyone’s here to help you,” he said. “Enjoy the time, because it goes by fast, and the next thing you know you’re a senior going through it all again. Just enjoy the time and don’t overthink it.”
Ryan Bishop, the school’s assistant principal, said the freshmen-only day is important to make sure students know what opportunities they have as well as get acquainted with the school in general.
“We think it’s so important for our freshmen to start their four years in high school off on the right foot,” he said. “It gives them that day to get some of the nervousness out and look really forward to the next four years, and we love doing it.”
He also had a piece of advice for freshmen starting their high school careers: Whether lunch-time activities, sports or something else, get involved.
“We have tons of different things at Wasatch High,” he said.
And while freshmen were getting acquainted with the beginning of the end of their pre-collegiate education, little kids Heber Valley Elementary started out with smiles and their own butterflies.
The school had literally laid out the red carpet for their arrival, as well as set up several photo opportunities near the entrance.
Principal Katie Cummings said it’s a tradition that goes back further than her four years at the school.
“Everyone has the butterflies and feels a little nervous, so when you come and see something exciting, it helps those butterflies feel like it’s for a good purpose,” she said. “Those butterflies mean excitement, not scared.”
The photo spots, she said, also provide a nice place where parents can take a fun photo of their kids before they bid them a happy farewell.
“One little girl this morning was like, ‘Is the queen coming?’” Cummings said with a smile. “I said, ‘You’re the queen today!’”