Hyde Park charter school holds red carpet welcome back for students
HYDE PARK – Monday marked the first day of school for students at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School in Hyde Park. And they received a red carpet welcome back.
"Oh I love it. It's amazing. We've never been through this before as far as cheering on coming in. This is amazing," Shymeka Taylor, the mother of a fifth grader said.
Music was playing as staff and board members lined up outside, waving and cheering as over 500 students in 5-12 grade made their way down a red carpet and into the school.
"It was an idea that just catalyst into a tradition," Academy of Pacific Rim Charter School executive director Farida Graham said.
The first day fell on the start of week two of the Orange Line shutdown. School officials said some students and faculty typically take those trains.
"We are committed to operating with grace and flexibility and we know it's going to impact different folks in different ways," Graham said.
Students also will be returning to the building with masks being optional in the classroom.
"We also recognize that we're in a time where infectious diseases are going to continue to impact us. So we do have protocols in place," Graham said.
The first day of school for Boston Public Schools grades 1-12 is September 8, with kindergarten students beginning September 12.