Pascagoula-Gautier School District welcomes students back for new school year

GAUTIER, Miss. (WLOX) - Students in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District said goodbye to summer and hello to the classroom on Wednesday.

Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich made sure every student in the district felt welcomed on their first day.

“Hi, I’m Mr. Rodolfich, your superintendent. I want to say welcome back, and I hope you have a great school year,” he said to one classroom.

Rodolfich made a special stop by every school Wednesday morning to visit each and every classroom - all 550 of them.

“I think it’s very important that the children know that they’re welcome back to school and that we’re willing to go to every classroom, so everyone feels welcome,” he said.

Teachers at Gautier Middle also wanted students to feel welcomed. Natalie Smith started class learning more about her students.

“I have beautiful faces and just really respectful students, and I’m just really looking forward to getting to know them this school year," Smith said.

A warm welcome on the first day of school can mean a lot to students, especially to those like Kamora Harris. Wednesday was her first day of middle school.

“I was scared this morning. I didn’t even want to get out of bed. I was so nervous,” she said.

It didn’t take long for her to adjust.

“I like the fact that we switch classes, and I have classes with a lot of my friends. It’s really fun. I like middle school already,” she said cheerfully.

Over at College Park Elementary, Principal Suzanne Ros made sure her students were also adjusting and feeling good about the first day.

“I just love getting to talk to them about what they did over the summer, and their new shoes, and their shiny new backpacks, and it just makes every bit of the hard work worth it," she said.

Ros believes it’s worth it to make sure this is a great school year for everyone.

“I just love our children. I love our communities. I love our teachers. There’s just a lot of hard work that goes in every year, and we’re pumped up about this year," Rodolfich said.

The Bay-Waveland, Moss Point, Gulfport and Pass Christian school districts also started their school year Wednesday, as well as Pearl River, Stone, and Hancock County schools.

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