The 2016-2017 school year began on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in West Hartford.

By Ronni Newton

The beginning of a new school year means new pens and pencils, new notebooks, and often new backpacks, clothes, and shoes, but for the 450 students at West Hartford’s Charter Oak International Academy, it also means a brand new building.

The excitement on the Charter Oak playground, where students, teachers, and families waited on the newly-painted compass rose for the traditional opening day ceremony to begin, was contagious.

The opening day ceremony was student-centered, and the school’s official dedication will be held in October because administrators wanted the first day of school to be focused on the kids. Isaiah led the pledge of allegiance in front of the new flagpole. Faith, another student, told the crowd that “today is a day of history.”

Faith said that the school building was not totally complete, and would not be until the students go inside. “When students fill it with laughter, love, and knowledge … that will be when the school is complete,” she said.

“It’s always exciting, but this year is truly very, very special,” Charter Oak Principal Juan Melián told the school community. The school is going to fulfill everyone’s expectations as place the town can be proud of, where magic happens.

“Our passion is to develop internationally-minded students,” Melián said – caring students who “get it” and love to ask questions and take action in the community. He told the students to explore the new building, to find their favorite spaces.

Lara and Sean Zier live in Bishops Corner, but made the decision to transfer their 4-year-old daughter, Harper, from a private preschool to Charter Oak.

“This was a big decision for all of us. We really researched Charter Oak, and liked the IB curriculum and inquiry-based learning. It really seemed engaging,” Lara Zier said.

“I’m excited. A lot of hard work went into it and the school looks great inside and out,” said PTO Co-President Keith Griffin as he and his wife, Manoli Canales, waited outside with their third-grader, Christina.

Singer/songerwiter Javier Colon, a former winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” is already a Charter Oak parent and he said he was excited about the new building where his youngest child will be one of the school’s 80 pre-K students this year. He told Superintendent Tom Moore that he was pleased that some of the security measures he supported, like double-entry doors, had been incorporated into the building.

“This is exciting. It’s a great day for the kids, the staff. It’s neat because it feels like I’m fulfilling my promises to the kids and the town,” Moore said. There was plenty of input leading up to this day, with 37 community meetings about the new school, Moore said.

After attending the opening ceremony at Charter Oak, Moore said he planned to spend the day visiting the district’s other 16 schools.

After second-grade teacher Kirk Williams sang a song, a first-day tradition, the fifth-graders had the privilege of leading the procession of students and teachers into the new building.

Director of Plant and Facilities Bob Palmer said that some minor punch-list items remain for inside the building, which is to be expected. Landscaping is nearly complete, other than the return of some substantial trees that were removed for construction and housed at Westmoor Park. Those will be replanted once they become dormant, Palmer said.

Demolition of the former school building was completed as planned, but some site work to turn that area into playing fields and a parking lot won’t be complete until November, said Palmer. In the meantime, Home Depot has given permission for use of their parking lot.

Parents were invited into the Charter Oak building Wednesday morning, and the PTO had an opening day reception. Victoria and Joe Bazzano took a self-guided tour, smiling as they discovered each new area of the buidling. Victoria said she went to Charter Oak when she was in elementary school, and even though they live in the Wolcott neighborhood they wanted to send their two daughters, Bella (grade 2) and Lilly (grade 5), to Charter Oak.

“It’s beautiful, pretty amazing,” Victoria said of the new building.

“They will have a lot of good memories of Charter Oak,” Joe said – not only of the building, but of the excellent teachers and staff. “What more can you ask,” he said.

Approximately 9,500 students returned to school throughout the district Wednesday, Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy Morrow said. Everything went smoothly, said Morrow, other than a bus transporting Bristow and Solomon Schechter Day School students that had some mechanical problems. A few other buses arrived slightly late, with drivers still learning routes and parents learning when to be at the bus stop.

For more information about what’s new throughout the district, and some details you may want or need to know, click here. For a recap of Monday’s convocation ceremony, click here.

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