Anchorage parents, students adjust to big changes on the first day of school 

Cars statement up astatine nan beforehand of Wendler Middle School successful Anchorage for nan first time of school. Aug. 15, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

Thursday was nan first time of schoolhouse successful nan Anchorage School District and students, families and unit are adjusting to large changes. School commencement times are different for each people this twelvemonth and sixth graders joined mediate schools.

The parking batch astatine Williwaw Elementary successful East Anchorage was buzzing early successful nan morning. Parents parked and walked up pinch their students, galore stopping to return photos earlier classes started astatine 8 a.m.

Twins Maude and Jolene Gourdin were afloat of energy, fresh to commencement 2nd grade. Neither 1 had a difficult clip waking up for school, but they’re looking guardant to different activities.

“Learning,” Maude said.

“Hm, playing,” Jolene said.

The Anchorage School Board voted to alteration commencement times successful nan outpouring of 2023, but delayed nan displacement until this fall. Elementary schools commencement an hr earlier, mediate schools commencement an hr and 15 minutes later, and precocious schoolhouse students, who started people astatine 7:30 a.m. past year, will now statesman astatine 8:45 a.m.

The caller commencement times are designed to thief older students execute amended and summation their graduation rates. Elementary schoolhouse students people aftermath up earlier than older students but it’s nan after-school business that many parents are worried about.

“The ending clip is challenging for pickups and everything else,” Kelsie Gourdin, nan twins’ mother said. “I don’t cognize rather really we’re going to do it. If we didn’t person thief astatine location it’d beryllium very expensive.”

Nicole Moyer helps students find their classrooms connected nan first time of schoolhouse astatine Williwaw Elementary successful Anchorage connected Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

Nicole Moyer is simply a schoolhouse scientist astatine Williwaw Elementary. She stood retired successful beforehand of nan school, helping students find their classrooms.

“Hopefully they consciousness welcome, and if they’re trying to fig retired wherever to go, astatine slightest they’re not figuring it retired alone,” Moyer said.

First grader Sean Williams conscionable arrived astatine school, but he’s already reasoning astir lunch.

“I person pineapple juice successful my battalion alternatively of worser stuff,” Williams said.

He’s a small suspicious of his older brother.

“Hunter has awesome stuff, I person nan boring-est stuff,” Williams said.

A fewer miles distant astatine Wendler Middle School, parents started lining up their cars successful nan parking batch to driblet disconnected their students astir 8:45 a.m. Middle schools are starting overmuch later this year, and 7 of nan district’s 10 mediate schools are adding sixth graders.

Helena Jacobs hugs her girl Enaaseyh earlier her first time of schoolhouse astatine Wendler Middle School successful Anchorage connected Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

Enaaseyh Jacobs is 1 of those sixth graders.

“I’m a small tense and I benignant of wish I had different year, but I’m besides really excited,” Jacobs said. “It’s a large alteration and I’m going to person for illustration a batch of different classes. I’m not utilized to this but it’s going to beryllium a challenge, and I’m excited.”

Enaaseyh’s mother Helena said her girl thrived astatine her simple school, nan Yup’ik immersion programme astatine College Gate. She’s 1 of nan first students who will proceed nan programme astatine Wendler.

“I’m gladsome that they’re continuing it present and they’ve sewage a really unthinkable coach lined up for them,” Helena Jacobs said. “I emotion it. It’s 1 of nan reasons we’re still successful Anchorage. I deliberation if we didn’t person this action for our kids we astir apt would’ve tried to modulation retired to agrarian Alaska conscionable to person them connected to their civilization and being raised successful nan language.”

Leighann and Lonni Joe are astir to commencement seventh grade. They graduated sixth people from Tudor Elementary and are excited to person much people options astatine Wendler, particularly 1 people successful particular.

“Probably publicity for me,” Leighann Joe said.

“Yeah, publicity for maine too,” Lonni Joe said.

Sam Joe is Lonni’s begetter and Leighann’s grandfather. He stopped to return photos of nan brace earlier they vanished into nan schoolhouse building.

“They’re increasing up existent speedy and it’s going by fast,” Joe said. “Holy cow, I conscionable retrieve watching them graduating from preschool and now they’re here.”

Thursday was nan first time of schoolhouse for astir students successful nan district, but eighth graders and 10th-12th graders start connected Friday. Preschoolers and kindergarteners commencement adjacent Thursday.