by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Swarms of children and parents descended on Kennedy Community School for open house night on Aug. 25. Classes in the St. Cloud school district start Monday, Aug. 31.
Finding a parking spot wasn’t easy, but every parent was as determined to find their spot as much as the children were their classrooms.
Inside the main entrance, students were immediately checked in by a staff member and then advised to either find their classrooms or head into the gym, which was set up with booths for many groups including Boy Scouts, community education, math club, athletic boosters and more.
Zander Folkerts, 7, and Lily Folkerts, 5, were running up and down the length of the gym, sliding along the floor in their sandals.
“I’m gonna slide again!” Zander yelled at his father, Mike, of St. Joseph. Mike is a volunteer with the St. Joseph fire department.
“They’re not very good at listening today,” Mike said.
Zander and Lily were very excited to be back at Kennedy. Zander is entering second grade, while Lily will be in kindergarten.
When asked whether she had attended Kennedy the previous year, Lily responded, “I don’t know,” while sliding across the gym floor again, though they both attended Kennedy the previous year.
Allyson and Nate Stewart of St. Joseph brought their son Beau, 6, to the Boy Scout booth. Beau will be entering first grade, and he and his family were interested in possibly joining scouting.
Over in the library, Ayden Heinie, 9, was talking with the librarian about his fishing exploits. Ayden likes to fish, and plans to hunt in the future as well. He will enter the fourth grade this year.
When asked what his favorite things to do in school were, Ayden said, “I usually like to read and do math.”
His parents, Alesha and Tim Heinie of St. Joseph, support his interest in the outdoors. Tim takes Ayden fishing quite a bit. Tim is a recruiter for the Army in St. Cloud. The family moved to St. Joseph from southern Illinois about two years ago. Ayden remembers seeing a bald eagle on their trip to Minnesota.
Lisa and Chris Dehn of St. Joseph enrolled their daughter Kiera, 4, in pre-school at Kennedy this year. Kiera is apparently very outgoing, just not around reporters. She really enjoyed placing the letters in the correct slots while getting used to her new classroom and classmates.
Thousands of students got off on the right foot at Kennedy Tuesday night, and the Newsleader wishes them all the best this school year.
Zander Folkerts, 7, and Lily Folkerts, 5, children of Mike Folkerts of St. Joseph, race around the Kennedy gym Tuesday night. Both kids are very excited to return to Kennedy. Zander will start second grade, while Lily will enter kindergarten.
Kiera Dehn, 4, daughter of Lisa and Chris Dehn of St. Joseph is pretty sure she knows where the letter ‘b’ goes on the board in her pre-school room at Kennedy.
Allyson and Nate Stewart of St. Joseph brought their son Beau, 6, over to check out the Boy Scout information booth at Kennedy’s open house night. Beau will start first grade this year.
Ayden Heinie, 9, son of Alesha and Tim Heinie of St. Joseph, shows off his cast in the wildlife section of the Kennedy library. Ayden enters fourth grade this year.
