Ironwood prepares for new year with Back to School Fair

IRONWOOD — Students and their families were invited on Thursday to Luther L. Wright K-12 School in Ironwood for a Back to School Fair. The open house provided an opportunity for children and their parents to get ready for the first day of school on Tuesday by meeting teachers and completing important paperwork.

Incoming students formed queues at tables in the gymnasium to receive their final class schedules and Chromebook laptops.

“We’re one-to-one, so every student from K-12 has access to a Chromebook,” principal Melissa Nigh said. “A lot of their assignments are uploaded into Google Classroom and that’s how the kids access them.”

After picking up their schedules, students and their parents had the chance to meet with their teachers in their classrooms. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade could also find their lockers on the first and second floors. Nigh said that the lockers on the third floor are for seventh to 12th graders and will be assigned to them next week.

There were also tables in the gymnasium where parents could see the school’s busing schedule and sign up for the Parent-Teacher Organization, which sponsors school dances and other activities.

Outside the school building, superintendent Travis Powell was cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and serving them to visitors.

“I like to grill and let people have something to eat, so we can hang out, play games and make school fun,” Powell said. “I’ve been going through lots of burgers and lots of hot dogs, and that’s a good sign for me. It’s busy, so that means we have a lot of kids here getting ready for school.”

Also present outside the school were Col. Sandra Keefer of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and Cheryl Jacisin of the National Honor Society. The two organizations were working together to entertain younger students with games and give away notebooks, writing utensils and other school supplies.