HIS principal Gaylon Parker helps a student find their classes during Fifth Grade Academy.| Caleb Suggs

Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

Hartselle Intermediate School decided to kick start the new school year with a Fifth Grade Academy Tues., Aug. 4.

Fifth graders will experience changing classes for the first time, so to help the new students get used to that big change quicker, the academy was introduced.

In this new system, the students all met together in the lunchroom as intermediate school Principal Gaylon Parker shared a few words. The students then dispersed into their individual classrooms, where their teachers gave a quick introduction to their class and an overview of what they will learn this school year.

The bell rang like it would on a regular school day, and the students were able to practice changing from class to class. The students were also given lockers and an opportunity to practice opening them in preparation for the hustle and bustle of a regular school day.

Parker said the academy was a way to help both students and parents prepare for the changes at HIS.

“This is our first year of doing this,” Parker said. “The teachers wanted to do something to help put the new students and their parent’s minds at ease without the sixth graders, and I think it was a great day.”

Sixth and Seventh grade ambassadors were able to help with the academy as well. These students provided some young friendly faces to the fifth graders as they helped new students get going in the right direction.

Parker said the ambassadors play an important role at the school.

“It is amazing to watch them come in here and do what they do,” Parker said. “We try to teach them the best we can to be leaders for the future, but to watch them come in here at such a young age and take a leadership role is just amazing.”

Although the intermediate school is still fairly new, the school’s reviews have been very positive. Students, parents and teachers alike all feel that the intermediate school is a good bridge between elementary school and junior high.

“It just works out nice,” Parker said. “With the old junior high, it was very crowded, and this just gives us more room as well as helps us prepare younger kids more for junior high then high school.”

School began (today) Aug. 12.