- April 19, 2024
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Matanzas High School Assistant Principal Mindy Kraverotis welcomes students to the 2021-2022 school year. Photo by Brian McMillan
Adrian Piotrowicz is all set for his first day of sixth grade in the STEM Academy at Wadsworth Elementary School. Courtesy photo
Christopher and Eleanor Snedeker get ready for the first day of school at First Baptist Christian Academy. Courtesy photo
Peyton Snyder is a freshman at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Courtesy photo
John Bowes, fifth grade, is ready for the first day of school at Old Kings Elementary School, while Samuel Bowes is beginning his seventh grade year at Indian Trails Middle School. Courtesy photo
Matanzas High School is ready for students. Photo by Brian McMillan
Photo by Brian McMillan
The Matanzas High School Rhythm N Blue Step Team: Jenia Lynch McQueen, Leilonnie McGriff, Angel Louis Charles, Khadijah Jones, Alanna Chi, Owen Roberts and Lyla White. Photo by Brian McMillan
Matanzas Cheerleaders Tralyn Johnson, Madeline Gautreau, Aliana Hulse and Madison Roland. Photo by Brian McMillan
The Pirate wants you to have a great school year. Arrr else! Photo by Brian McMillan
Education in Flagler County is on a roll. A drum roll.
On the first day of school at Buddy Taylor Middle School, the Flagler Palm Coast High School band’s drumline welcomed back students and families.
Not to be outdone, the Matanzas High band’s drumline welcomed back students at Indian Trails Middle School.
“Walking through our buildings seeing smiling faces and excited kids was very refreshing,”
CATHY MITTELSTADT, Flagler Schools superintendent
Enrollment is up at Flagler Schools, Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said, and an excitement permeated the air as students and teachers were eager for a return to normalcy.
“I think there was an overall sense of excitement,” Matanzas principal Jeff Reaves said. “The students felt glad to be back on campus, see their friends and eat lunch together again.”
Mittelstadt had a busy first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 10, visiting all nine public schools plus the district’s charter school -- Imagine School at Town Center -- and the central location for iFlagler Virtual School at Building 10 on the Matanzas campus.
At the end of the school day she said the district had a total student enrollment of 13,572 and more than 11,000 students showed up for class. Enrollment is also slowly increasing at the virtual school, she said.
“Eighty-two percent attendance on the first day is a testimony to our families,” Mittelstadt said. “They are ready to get re-engaged in school and we are excited to have them back to this degree.”
At every stop Mittelstadt said she could feel the energy.
“Walking through our buildings seeing smiling faces and excited kids was very refreshing,” she said. “Last year with all the COVID protocols, it was a different environment."
Reaves said about 1,780 students are enrolled at Matanzas, about 120 more than last year’s remote learning and in-person student populations combined. Matanzas has a freshman class of 540, which he said is the largest class ever at the school.
“We’ve had people from Colorado and California, literally all across the country, moving in,” he said.
“We are definitely seeing that we are a growth district from previous years,” Mittelstadt said.
Mittelstadt published a “Welcome Back to School” message on the Flagler Schools website. Her theme was “Flagler Together.”
She said in her message the district remains diligent in creating a safe environment as COVID-19 continues to impact the community. Students, staff and visitors may wear masks, she said, and she urged everyone to make healthy choices and remain home if they are not feeling well.
Reaves said he saw “a good number of students” wearing masks on the first day. He said he wore a mask in large settings.
“We tell them it’s based on your level of comfort. Either is OK. Students and staff are feeling accepted masked or unmasked,” Reaves said.
Also in her message, Mittelstadt said a $1.2 million mental health grant “will allow us to better serve our students in need of mental health services and telehealth options that were not previously available in Flagler County.” She noted that the district is in the process of creating a new strategic plan and linked a survey for teachers, staff, students and parents to provide feedback.
