Wilcox Elementary welcomes kids back to school in style

School started up again for the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District on Monday.

Wilcox Elementary in Pocatello tried to get the kids excited with a welcome back celebration.

With music and several community members to welcome them, kids arrived at Wilcox to start their school year.

Members of the Gate City Grays baseball team, the Pocatello Fire Department, Mayor Brian Blad and several others greeted the kids as they got off the buses.

Brenda Miner, the principal, said she saw a video of another school doing something similar and thought it would be a great idea to try it locally.

“I thought it just seemed like a great idea and a great opportunity for our kids to meet some of our community members and have them see the importance of school and hard work,” Miner said.

After the bell rang to start the day, all the guests lined up along the sidewalk. Then, each teacher brought their class outside to walk through the line and get high-fives from the community members.

Those who got to welcome the kids said it was a fun experience and they think it helped with some of the kids’ nerves.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to welcome all the kids back, to be able to start their day off, their year off, with a good note, a high note,” said James Perry, a paramedic with the Pocatello Fire Department. “And it’s good to have some motivation to keep going through the rest of the year.”

“This is awesome,” said Sean Persky, who plays for the Gate City Grays. “I wish I had this as a kid when I came back to school. It’s really cool being a part of the community like this.”

“A couple people were saying, and some of the kids were saying, ‘This is like a championship line here,’ and they were excited to be here,” said Pocatello mayor Brian Blad. “So it was a good way to start the school year.”

“I could tell by the smiles on their faces and the music playing that it got them excited, I noticed the teachers felt the same way,” Miner said. “They were as excited as the kids.”

The school district also wants to remind drivers since school is back in session, to be careful around school zones and crossings.