NewsLocal News

Actions

Most Missouri schools begin class Monday morning

bedell first day of school.jpeg
Posted at 12:04 PM, Aug 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-23 13:04:02-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Schools within the Kansas City, Missouri, School District returned to 100 percent in-person learning Monday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced changes in March 2020.

“It’s exciting,” said Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell. “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s really exciting to be here.”

During an interview outside Central Middle School, Bedell said it will be up to parents, teachers and students to follow strict COVID mitigation requirements in place, like wearing a face covering, to ensure schools remain in-person.

“Let’s just upfront, be disciplined and do some of the things we may not like, that may not make us comfortable, but in the long run will allow for us to do the job we need to do to educate children,” Bedell explained; adding in-person learning is the best fit for students.

As students stepped off the buses at Central Middle and High Schools, cheerleaders from the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as mascot KC Wolf and the “Rumble” drumline, created a pep rally entrance to the school buildings alongside City Year tutors, who cheer on students every school day.

“As our kids are coming in, we want to make sure they know we love and support them. And we’re excited for their first day,” explained Jeff Shafer, executive director of City Year in Kansas City.

The nonprofit provides 66 tutors/mentors who work year-round at KCPS schools to help students stay encouraged and reach academic excellence.

The Hunt Family, which owns the Chiefs, also operates the Hunt Family Foundation, which sponsors a number of City Year tutors at Central Middle School, which is why the cheerleaders and drumline joined the tutors for the first day of school.

“I was talking to some students earlier and they’re so excited to be back even without all this [pep rally]. This has been such a hard time for everybody. To have them back in person and see how excited they are, just brings another level of, I think, hope and optimism that this will be a year can really move the needle and help them move forward to high school,” explained Anne Scharf, the vice president of the Hunt Family Foundation and Chiefs civic affairs.

Bedell grew up a fan of the Buffalo Bills, but admitted most of the clothes in his closet are Chiefs-related. He expressed gratitude for the relationship the district and NFL franchise maintain.

“It means the world to us, but most importantly to our kids to know their home team is behind them,” Bedell pointed out.

Across town, Eddie Wright awaited students to enter Hogan Preparatory Academy High School. As principal of the charter school, Wright said the first day is full of jitters.

“We want to make sure students come in and feel safe. They feel safe in a lot of different ways. Safe from COVID, that’s the big one on everybody’s mind. But we want them to be emotionally safe, and physically safe,” Wright explained. “A parent trust you to send students to you and they want their students back at the end of the day. While they’re with us, we want students to learn, learn at a high level, be safe and go out and make a difference in the world.”

This will be the last time Hogan Prep students begin the school year in their current 80-year-old building near Meyer Boulevard and Troost Avenue. This spring, the district broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art facility east of the current building.

“I think when our young people have a place they can go to and it serves them in terms of all the functions that help them grow and learn, it helps them be proud of their facility, their school. It makes them want to work harder. It makes our adults want to work harder,” Hogan Preparatory Academy Superintendent Dr. Jayson Strickland said. “A building doesn’t teach people, people teach young people, but the building sure symbolically tells them we care about them and we want them to be in a place that shows them we do care about them.”

City Year is currently accepting applications for tutors. People ages 18 to 25 are eligible to apply online. Tutors receive a stipend.