BonnerSprings.com

The Bonner Springs Elementary grounds were buzzing Tuesday morning as parents, students and teachers embarked on the first day of school.

Pictures were taken in front of the school sign, children hugged their parents one last time before saying goodbye for the day, and friends reunited. But busiest of all was BSE Principal Kim Mitchell as she rushed from car to car to greet newcomers who had pulled up to drop off students at the front of the school.

"So far it's gone very smooth," Mitchell said. "We had a really good start. We had a lot of parents and families who came in and took pictures. Everyone was in their rooms and ready to go by 9 a.m."

Mitchell said that most of the families were returning members of the school district and were familiar with drop-off points and procedures. She said this helped the morning run smoothly, but that doesn't mean it wasn't without a few hiccups.

The street in front of the school, Neconi Avenue, got backed up with parents dropping off students all the way north to Kump Avenue. The police came down to check out what was causing the problem, Mitchell said, and planned to continue visiting in the mornings to keep traffic flowing.

Being the first day, Mitchell said, many parents wanted to walk their students into the building to their classrooms and parked their cars along the street. She said the parents just needed to be reminded that Neconi Avenue should only be used for quick drop-offs and that the adjacent parking lots could be used for longer-term parking.

Mitchell admits that day was "a little crazy" at times, but felt that the year got off to a positive start.

"Everyone has just been so polite and nice and excited about school starting," she said.

Most of the excitement, however, is coming from the teacher and Mitchell, who are looking forward to starting their second year with the Expeditionary Learning program. With one year under their belt, Mitchell said teachers were more comfortable with the program and less afraid of making mistakes. She said teachers have come up with new ideas that will improve upon what was done last year.

"The staff is so excited to wrap their arms around ( the Expeditionary Learning program) and get going on expansions of investigations from last year or starting new ones," she said. "I think it's going to be a lot of fun and a lot of good learning."

Some of those investigations include the kindergarteners continuing to learn about agriculture and gardening. Last year the focus was on spring plants such as zinnias and marigolds, whereas this year they'll look at fall plants such as mums and tulips.

Also expanding their lessons are the fourth -graders with a unit on recycling. Mitchell said students and teachers hope to get more involved with city initiatives, including the city's most recent curbside recycling program.

"This year what I have seen is that (the teachers) are just more willing to take a chance," Mitchell said. "They're so excited about generating ideas. Last year they were more cautious about making sure they're doing it right, gathering ideas and making it all fit. Now they're seeing how that it all fits and ready to take next step."