DAPHNE – As classrooms reopened across Baldwin almost five months after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, lines of cars pulled up at the county’s newest campus in Belforest on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Belforest Elementary School was one of three new Baldwin schools to open as the 2020-21 academic year began.
Unlike past years, parents could not escort children into the school and to their new classrooms. Staff members and volunteers took students, all wearing masks, into the new building.
“We made sure that each family, whether it was one child or three children that they all got personally taken to their classroom by one of us, a volunteer or staff member,” Jill Yawn, a volunteer and Parent, Teacher Organization member, said. “There were a lot of staff members out there as well.”
Yawn said children and parents were glad that school is reopening.
“I walked a first grader who said the whole way, I’m so excited. It’s so cool in here. I’m so excited and he just kept repeating that and it was really sweet,” Yawn said. “We just wanted to be a smiling face since they couldn’t have their parent with them. We wanted to be comfortable with them and smile and be excited for them.”
Volunteer Laura Guarisco said the first day of school can be intimidating for children.
“We wanted to make sure that they were well taken care of because being parents, you know what that’s like with the first day of school and it’s a big school,” Guarisco said.
PTO volunteer Michelle Dobert said parents were also thrilled to have the new school.
“We’re excited. We wanted the school to be built and we’re all for it and it’s been wonderful,” Dobert said.
Belforest Principal Jonathan Ellis said opening a new school is a complicated process.
“You’ve got a small city and then, all of the sudden, with the flip of a switch, the city just has to come alive,” Ellis said. “The water has to work in your city. The power has to work in your city. All of the individual houses, which are the classrooms, everything has to be in operation in the city. And then all of these little pathways, the flow of the children through the city, the schedules of the city, everything just starts at once. And it’s really just quite amazing how much of it just works itself out, like in a city and then, how much needs guidance from your teachers and administrators and stuff. That’s what the first day is like.”
He said school system administrators and educators have been working on protocols and procedures to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Belforest and other Baldwin schools.
“Quite frankly, we’re more concerned for the health and safety of the kids, but we know kids are going to be kids and we’re going to do the very best we can to keep them safe,” Ellis said. “Everyone has had extensive training. We’ve had extensive preparation. We’ve had extensive meetings and discussions, but you just never know what’s going to happen until you just rip the Band Aide off and start the first day.”
On Monday, Aug. 11, the school system officially opened three new schools in Daphne, Orange Beach and Foley.
Superintendent of Education Eddie Tyler said Belforest will relieve enrollment pressure caused by growth in the area along Alabama 181.
“This is a long time in coming, to have our new Belforest Elementary School, one of our newest schools,” Tyler said. “Some of our other schools were replacing schools, an intermediate school or something like that, but Belforest, the community of Belforest, we’re excited. This is part of the Daphne feeder pattern, a beautiful K-6 school.”
On Wednesday, Tyler said the opening day went well across Baldwin County.
“Teaching is going on in the classroom,” Tyler said. “Where there could be distancing in the classrooms, it’s been fantastic. Naturally some classrooms, such as English classrooms or some of those, they’re heavy, but no more than normal.”
