Superheroes, first-day jitters and big goals: LaBelle students head back to school

LABELLE, Fla. (WINK)- For some of LaBelle’s youngest students, the first day of school came with a little bit of everything: excitement, nerves, new backpacks — and a few superheroes.

UpTheGrove Elementary welcomed students back to the classroom as the new school year got underway, including children experiencing their very first day of school.

Tiny students in brand-new outfits and oversized backpacks stepped off buses, while others held onto mom and dad for one last hug and kiss before heading inside.

And waiting for them were some familiar superheroes.

Batman and other costumed characters greeted students as they arrived, helping make the first-day transition a little less intimidating.

Five-year-old Iyana Castellanos didn't seem too worried about what was ahead.

She had some big goals for kindergarten.

“I’m going to learn everything and have friends!” Iyana said.

When it came to making those new friends, she already had a strategy.

Asked what she would say to someone she didn't know yet, Iyana had a simple answer:

“I say, ‘You want to be my friend?’”

It might be the simplest friendship advice of the school year.

The superheroes weren't just outside greeting students, either. Staff members at UpTheGrove Elementary embraced the theme, too.

“Every one of these people in my staff are superheroes along with our kids, so we are really excited to start the day!” said Heather Cassidy of UpTheGrove Elementary School.

But while students are starting a brand-new chapter, Hendry County Schools is also starting the year with some academic momentum.

Hendry County Schools Superintendent Mike Swindle said the district is celebrating significant gains in its latest school grades.

For the first time, Swindle said, every school in LaBelle received a B grade.

Districtwide, he said all schools received either an A or B, with one school falling just two points short of a B.

“For the first time ever, all the schools in LaBelle are all B’s… and district-wide, we are all A’s and B’s with the exception of one school who is only two points away from a B,” Swindle said.

Swindle said those results are particularly meaningful for a rural district that faces challenges that can make academic growth more difficult.

“So, in a rural district where we have a lot of things stacked against us, we found a way to academically grow,” he said.

Now, the district wants to build on that momentum.

The goal for the new school year is to push the remaining school over the B mark while continuing to improve across the district.

And for students like Iyana, the mission is much simpler:

Learn everything.

Make friends.

And maybe have a superhero or two along the way.