FORT MILL, S.C. — The first day of school can be exciting and sometimes a little nerve-wracking.
But not just for students.
Jadyn Barrett is a new kindergarten teacher at Riverview Elementary School in Fort Mill.
"Last night, you know, the past few nights, I’ve been getting nervous because it is my first year as a teacher," Barrett said.
It's also her first day back at the school she attended when she was a kid.
"I went through the Fort Mill schools, I always loved them," Barrett said. "I went to college knowing I wanted to come back and teach with Fort Mill schools."
The teacher who inspired her many years ago, Darleen Romenick, is now her principal.
"She’s really the reason I wanted to become a teacher, so I’m just excited to be back teaching with familiar faces in the same school district I went to," Barrett said.
Romenick said she believes Jadyn will make a difference in her students' lives too.
"The job of a teacher is to make students love learning and Jadyn will do that," Romenick said. "That’s what we do here every day at Riverview."
Jadyn joins three other teachers who are also returning to the same elementary school they attended as kids.
Across the school district, Fort Mill still has a few staff vacancies, but just enough educators are here to help start the school year off just right. Fort Mill School District is also starting the school year off with a new clear bag policy for ticketed events that will only apply to the general public.
The school district is also looking at the growth in students at each grade level and making plans to keep class sizes from getting overcrowded.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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