The 2024-2025 school year began for West Hartford Public Schools on Aug. 28, 2024.

By Ronni Newton

There were plenty of smiling faces – and also some visible first-day jitters – as roughly 9,500 West Hartford Public Schools students arrived for the first day of classes on Wednesday morning.

That nervous excitement was also felt by Kelly Sousa Purcell, who as of July 1 took on the role interim principal at Whiting Lane Elementary School after former Principal Karen Kukish was named Sedgwick Middle School’s top administrator.

“I’m very excited. The teachers and staff are absolutely amazing,” Sousa Purcell said as she prepared to lead Whiting Lane’s annual opening day ceremony – relocated slightly to another spot in front of the school because of the installation of a new sidewalk and just-planted grass in front of the flagpole.

“I’m glad to be on this side. Before I’ve always been in the audience,” she said. “All three of my kids actually went here so that’s [one reason] why I’m excited to be back.” Her oldest is now a senior at Hall High School, and she also has a Hall sophomore and an eighth-grader at Bristow Middle School.

Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Sousa Purcell welcomed families and staff. “The sense of community here at Whiting Lane is truly amazing. It’s a place where everyone supports each other. We create a nurturing environment that foster growth and learning, and I am inspired by the dedication and passion that I see in each of you and I am committed to working alongside you to make this the best school year yet,” she said.

Collective efforts will pave the way for student success, Sousa Purcell said as she also introduced new Assistant Principal Kristina Wieckowski. She also thanked staff, and the PTO for their support and planned activities such as “playground popsicles” the previous afternoon and the coffee reception that would follow Wednesday’s opening ceremony.

To end the ceremony, all of the returning students (and many of the parents) recited the Whiting Lane School code, which will be one of the first things taught to kindergartners and other new students: “Whiting Lane citizens are respectful and responsible, make good choices, and we always take care of each other.”

From the wide-eyed kindergartners to the confident fifth-graders, there were plenty hugs and high-fives as Whiting Lane’s roughly 280 kindergarten through grade 5 students reunited with friends and posed with their parents for last-minute photos before heading into their classrooms.

Flash – Whiting Lane’s mascot – was also on hand to greet students Wednesday morning and give high-fives as they filed into the building.

Fourth-grader Cora Passan rode her bike to school for the first day. She said she was excited for the new principal and her “new instrument” as she will begin viola lessons this year.

“Yes!” exclaimed a group of third-graders when asked if they were excited about their first day of school.

Another 150 students attend the Early Learning Center (ELC) program at Whiting Lane, and they will have an open house Wednesday and begin classes on Thursday, Sousa Purcell said.

“It was a great first day overall. Lots of positive energy, lots of smiling faces that I saw,” West Hartford Superintendent Paul Vicinus said Wednesday afternoon after paying a visit to most of the district’s schools. He said he would visit the remaining schools on Thursday.

Vicinus said he attended the welcome ceremony at Duffy, where a major construction project to install air conditioning, new windows, and other air quality improvements is still underway. “Duffy looked amazing. It was a place of positive energy. It was a very warm, welcoming environment with a buzz of excitement,” he said, and that excitement carried through to all of the other schools he visited.

There was a bit of an issue with getting power running in the portable classrooms that are being used as “swing space” during the construction, and a strategic decision was made in advance not to try to move four classrooms into those units for the start of school as originally intended, Vicinus said. The portables should be ready for occupancy next week.

Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy Morrow said that across the district, “everything seemed smooth for the first day and the buses ran well with a few exceptions for mini buses.”

Morrow noted that parents and caregivers need to be patient with the extra traffic, buses, and walkers, and need to remember to be extra safe on the roads and in the neighborhoods as children return to school.

During an interview with We-Ha.com last week, both Vicinus and Morrow provided details on construction projects and other updates related to the 2024-2025 academic year.

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