ROCK HALL — The hallways of Kent County’s public schools sprang back to life last week as students returned to classrooms.

Kent County Public Schools started Tuesday, Sept. 3 with students rolling back into their familiar classroom routines and their summer break officially came to an end.

Sept. 3 also marked Superintendent Dr. Mary Boswell-McComas’ first day with students in the classroom, having joined Kent County Public Schools July 1.

She spent the day touring each of the schools, talking with principals, visiting classrooms and meeting students.

“I am pleased to report that we opened our academic year welcoming back all of our students and parents,” Dr. McComas said. “Our faculty and staff are excited and prepared to both support and challenge our students through the teaching and learning process.”

She was joined on the tours by members of Kent County Board of Education, the Board of County Commissioners and Dels. Jay Jacobs and Jeff Ghrist, who represent the district in the Maryland General Assembly.

“I want to express my gratitude to our elected officials who prioritized time in their schedules to join us on opening day,” Dr. McComas said. “We look forward to future opportunities for our elected officials to visit our classrooms, athletic fields and student performances throughout the year.” 

H.H. Garnet Elementary School had an additional special guest, Dr. Joshua Michael, president of the Maryland State Board of Education. He toured the building with Dr. McComas, Principal Brenda Rose and local officials.

Joseph Goetz, president of the Kent County Board of Education, thanked the administrators, teachers and staff for opening the doors to the schools for the first day tours. He said he is excited for the school year and the Board of Education will continue to support the students. 

“To see all the instruction going on, that was pretty amazing,” said Goetz of the tours. “It was a great week, last week.”

While many may think schools are quiet throughout the summer, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes preparing for students.

And at Garnet, students were present in the building during break for summer acceleration academies to get a boost going into the next year and recovering needed class credits.

All the planning efforts kicked into high gear the week of Aug. 19, when Kent County Public Schools welcomed new teachers and staff.

The rest of the 10-month staff members were back in their buildings the week of Aug. 26.

Those agendas for those two weeks included training sessions, time spent organizing and decorating classrooms and team building.

At Kent County High School, Principal Kris Hemstetter led a staff-wide community service project, with teams assembly and painting book shelves for students who may not have access to books at home.

The bookshelves will be donated to selected students in each of Kent County’s five public schools. Kent County High School will also be asking for donations of age-appropriate books to fill the shelves. 

“These bookshelves will serve as a foundation for creating a personal library, encouraging children to read more and explore the world of books,” Hemstetter said. “Our project is more than just building the furniture, it’s about building brighter futures for our children through the power of reading.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, all Kent County Public Schools staff members celebrated the opening start of the year in the Kent County High School auditorium.

Dr. McComas spoke to the assembled administrators, teachers and staff about the importance of their work. She acknowledged how clear it is, every day, that that they care for students.

“You are committed to challenging them each and every day, pushing them in their thinking, pushing them in their skill set, challenging them to discover exactly who they are, how great they are and requiring them to reach for it, day after day after day,” McComas told the crowd of teachers and staff. “You are challenging them every step of the way because you care about them and because you believe them — because you love them.”

Highlights of the morning included welcoming new teachers and staff, celebrating those who achieved career milestones and cheering on as Mike Croce, general manager of Hertrish Ford of Elkton, presented Kent County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Kaitlyn Wright with the keys to a Ford Escape she gets to drive for the next year.

Dr. Malik Muhammad took the stage to give a keynote presentation the important role Restorative Practices play in building a positive school environment that prepares students for success.

Dr. Muhammad, a former teacher and administrator, is the founder and CEO of Akoben LLC. The organization provides professional development aimed at building relational leadership.

Dr. Muhammad emphasized the importance of cultivating relationships with students and connecting with them, while also providing support and challenging them to do better.

“When we are connecting with young people, it’s got to be authentic,” Dr. Muhammad said in his presentation. “Find your way to connect, I think that’s important.”

On Thursday, Aug. 29, each of the five schools hosted an open house. Students and their families received their schedules, saw their classrooms and met their teachers.

Leading into the school year, Dr. McComas has been getting to know Kent County Public Schools and the community it serves. 

Since she started over the summer, she has attended local festivals and government meetings and held roundtable discussions with stakeholders and community members.

“Each and every one of these opportunities helps me to learn about who we are as a community and who we strive to become as a community,” Dr. McComas said.

Dr. McComas plans to continue strengthening the bridge between the schools and the communities they serve.