Syracuse street corners were dotted with chilly, sleepy, backpack laden students this morning as they waited for the buses that would deliver them to day one of the new school year. It is opening day for most of the students in the region's largest district. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors start Friday, everyone else had to be in...
Syracuse Institute of Technology Culinary Arts teacher Vicki Parvese cleans food utensils in a former Home Economics room converted to a kitchen. A three bay sink and large coolers were among the many items moved into the room in the past few days. Levy Middle School on Fellows Avenue in Syracuse has been converted into a temporary home for the Institute of Technology until the former Central Tech building is finished with its renovations. Ninth graders arrived for their first day of school on Thursday September 9th, 2010. Syracuse street corners were dotted with chilly, sleepy, backpack laden students this morning as they waited for the buses that would deliver them to day one of the new school year.
It is opening day for most of the students in the region's largest district. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors start Friday, everyone else had to be in school today. One junior who apparently didn't get that message, or didn't absorb it, arrived to discover he was 24 hours early and bolted.
He is a student at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, which has been temporarily relocated from its downtown home to the former Levy K-8 building in the Westcott Neighborhood. It's been a scramble to get the building ready. Custodial worker Jim Hawk labored until midnight the day before and was there at 6 a.m. today.
"I feel like I never went home," he said, coffee cup in hand.
Principal Matthew Williams worked until 11:30 p.m. last night rechecking schedules, making sure there were enough chairs in the cafeteria and attending to other details. Two days ago, the kitchen for the culinary arts program was pretty much in pieces in a hallway. It was ready for cooking today, Williams said.
By the time classes started at 8:15 a.m., things were going smoothly at the transplanted school.
"We've got everything we need," Williams said.
The district won't take its official head count until October, but last year's enrollment was just over about 21,330 prekindergarten through 12.
Contact Maureen Nolan at 470-2185 or mnolan@syracuse.com.