Back-to-school night has large turnout

WEBUTUCK — On Tuesday, Sept. 6, Webutuck High School and the Eugene Brooks Intermediate School hosted a back-to-school night for students and family.The event gave the students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school layout, test locker combinations and introduce themselves to the teachers. It also gave the parents a chance to meet the school staff.High school principal Ken Sauer said he thought the event went well. “It was a great way to start the school year on a very positive note,” he said, though he added that he wished more of his students had attended.A fair number of high school students attended the event, but the hallways of the intermediate school were jam packed with students greeting their friends, decorating their lockers and enjoying scoops of ice cream while parents chatted with the instructors and school administrators.The ice cream came from a booth set up by the French students, fundraising for a school trip to Guadeloupe that will take place over Thanksgiving break.The evening also featured a bounce house and food provided by the PTA.“It was a nice way to welcome [the students] back,” said Jay Curtis, the new principal of the intermediate school.Curtis said that the event gave the students “a sense of being part of the school” while providing a stress-free — compared to the first day of classes — environment for the students to familiarize themselves with the school and the staff.Superintendent Jim Gratto felt similarly, explaining that the event gave the students a sense of security for the first day of school.One of Sauer’s goals for the evening was to significantly increase staff, faculty and parent participation in the PTA.PTA president Laura Calabrese said that during the back-to-school night, 38 people, comprised of 20 faculty and 18 parents, signed up for the PTA.Gratto and Sauer both noted that they received a lot of great feedback about the event.Math teacher Eric Harvey said of the event, “The more community involvement we get around here, the better off we will be in the long run.”Sauer hopes to expand the event next year to attract more participants.

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