It was the first day of school for 7-year-old Sydney Bristow and she was
following closely to her best friend Francie Calfo as she skipped over the
boxes painted in a pattern on the ground. All the parents were talking
amongst themselves waiting for the starting of school bell to ring.
"I'll race you Fran" Sydney laughed.
"I'll bet you Syd!" Francie giggled.
"When I say go....ready...set....go!" Sydney said and made her way up and down the boxes.
"I won!" Sydney's small hands shot up into the air.
"Did not! I beat you by a mile!" Francie put her hands on her hips.
"Did not!!!" Sydney's voice rose.
"Sydney! Don't yell please!" Irina shot at her daughter as she sat on a bench next to Katherine Weiss. Katherine looked over at her son and saw that he was eating the grass.
"Eric Jacob Weiss!" she ran over to him, "Why are you eating grass?!" she threw the remaining grass back to the floor and picked up her son. "Sweetie, we don't eat grass."
"But Will said we could eat four-leaf clovers!" he pointed at the blondish- brownish haired boy now talking with Sydney and Francie.
"I don't care Eric we don't eat grass," she put him back to the ground "now, go play with Will, Francie, and Sydney"
Eric ran off to join his other three friends near the hopscotch area.
"Honestly, that boy will eat anything!" Mrs. Weiss took her seat back down next to Irina. Just as she sat down the bell rang.
Just as the bell rang the first grade door was opened by a young woman. "Hello everyone! My name is Ms. Barber and I'm gonna be your first grade teacher! Now, everyone say good-bye to mommy and daddy!" she said very brightly.
Sydney ran over to her mother, "Bye mommy!" she gave her a hug.
"Bye sweetheart," she kissed her daughter's small nose. "Daddy will come to pick you up after school, you put your ballet clothes in daddy's car right?"
Sydney nodded. "Okay, then. I'll see you when I get home" Sydney waved good- bye and waited for Francie to say good-bye to her father.
"Now be good honeybunch and have a great first day of school. Sydney! Take care of Fran for me, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble" Mr. Frank Calfo gave his daughter a big hug and kissed her on the cheek and gave Sydney a wink and a wave.
"Bye Daddy!" Francie waved back at her father.
Ms. Barber smiled at the two girls who had yet to walk into the classroom. "Hi there you two," she looked down at them. "Get inside we're gonna have a great day today" she gave them a warm smile and closed the door behind them.
Sydney and Francie looked around the room and noticed that all the seats had been filled and saw Eric motioning his hand that he saved a couple of seats for them. They made their way towards the end of the classroom and sat in the empty seats.
Ms. Barber stood at the front of the class with a stack of folded papers in her hand. "Good morning everyone, my name is Ms. Barber and I'll be your teacher for this year"
"Good Morning Mrs. Barber!" all the children said in unison.
Ms. Barber laughed at the fact that her little 1st graders wouldn't call her Ms. "Anyways, here I have some cards for you to write on. I want each and every one of you to write your first name on the front and back of the card and design it any way you want it as long as it doesn't make it hard for me to see your names" She passed around the nametags to each table.
While she passed around the trays of crayons and markers the school principal walked in with a young brown-haired boy and his mother.
"Ms. Barber, I have for you a new student"
Ms. Barber gave the last trays to the last tables and stood up straight "Mr. Hernandez how great to see you! Children, why don't you start on your name tags okay?" she turned her back to face Mr. Hernandez and whispered.
"Hey look, at the new kid" young Will Tippin pointed at the shy looking brown-haired green-eyed boy standing closely to his mother.
Mr. Hernandez as well as the new student's mother walked out. But just before she left, she whispered something in her son's ear and kissed him on the cheek.
None of the children were really working on their name tags but looking at the small commotion that was going on at the other side of the classroom. Ms. Barber bent down and spoke to the new student, smiled and took his hand and led him to the front of the classroom. "Everyone! Everyone put down your crayons and markers for a moment, I'd like everyone to meet someone!" she said. Everyone had already put down their markers and crayons and was staring at the new kid. "Okay, now, everyone this is Michael...Michael Vaughn, he just transferred from France and I'm hoping that you will treat him nicely and welcome him into your class"
"I'll race you Fran" Sydney laughed.
"I'll bet you Syd!" Francie giggled.
"When I say go....ready...set....go!" Sydney said and made her way up and down the boxes.
"I won!" Sydney's small hands shot up into the air.
"Did not! I beat you by a mile!" Francie put her hands on her hips.
"Did not!!!" Sydney's voice rose.
"Sydney! Don't yell please!" Irina shot at her daughter as she sat on a bench next to Katherine Weiss. Katherine looked over at her son and saw that he was eating the grass.
"Eric Jacob Weiss!" she ran over to him, "Why are you eating grass?!" she threw the remaining grass back to the floor and picked up her son. "Sweetie, we don't eat grass."
"But Will said we could eat four-leaf clovers!" he pointed at the blondish- brownish haired boy now talking with Sydney and Francie.
"I don't care Eric we don't eat grass," she put him back to the ground "now, go play with Will, Francie, and Sydney"
Eric ran off to join his other three friends near the hopscotch area.
"Honestly, that boy will eat anything!" Mrs. Weiss took her seat back down next to Irina. Just as she sat down the bell rang.
Just as the bell rang the first grade door was opened by a young woman. "Hello everyone! My name is Ms. Barber and I'm gonna be your first grade teacher! Now, everyone say good-bye to mommy and daddy!" she said very brightly.
Sydney ran over to her mother, "Bye mommy!" she gave her a hug.
"Bye sweetheart," she kissed her daughter's small nose. "Daddy will come to pick you up after school, you put your ballet clothes in daddy's car right?"
Sydney nodded. "Okay, then. I'll see you when I get home" Sydney waved good- bye and waited for Francie to say good-bye to her father.
"Now be good honeybunch and have a great first day of school. Sydney! Take care of Fran for me, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble" Mr. Frank Calfo gave his daughter a big hug and kissed her on the cheek and gave Sydney a wink and a wave.
"Bye Daddy!" Francie waved back at her father.
Ms. Barber smiled at the two girls who had yet to walk into the classroom. "Hi there you two," she looked down at them. "Get inside we're gonna have a great day today" she gave them a warm smile and closed the door behind them.
Sydney and Francie looked around the room and noticed that all the seats had been filled and saw Eric motioning his hand that he saved a couple of seats for them. They made their way towards the end of the classroom and sat in the empty seats.
Ms. Barber stood at the front of the class with a stack of folded papers in her hand. "Good morning everyone, my name is Ms. Barber and I'll be your teacher for this year"
"Good Morning Mrs. Barber!" all the children said in unison.
Ms. Barber laughed at the fact that her little 1st graders wouldn't call her Ms. "Anyways, here I have some cards for you to write on. I want each and every one of you to write your first name on the front and back of the card and design it any way you want it as long as it doesn't make it hard for me to see your names" She passed around the nametags to each table.
While she passed around the trays of crayons and markers the school principal walked in with a young brown-haired boy and his mother.
"Ms. Barber, I have for you a new student"
Ms. Barber gave the last trays to the last tables and stood up straight "Mr. Hernandez how great to see you! Children, why don't you start on your name tags okay?" she turned her back to face Mr. Hernandez and whispered.
"Hey look, at the new kid" young Will Tippin pointed at the shy looking brown-haired green-eyed boy standing closely to his mother.
Mr. Hernandez as well as the new student's mother walked out. But just before she left, she whispered something in her son's ear and kissed him on the cheek.
None of the children were really working on their name tags but looking at the small commotion that was going on at the other side of the classroom. Ms. Barber bent down and spoke to the new student, smiled and took his hand and led him to the front of the classroom. "Everyone! Everyone put down your crayons and markers for a moment, I'd like everyone to meet someone!" she said. Everyone had already put down their markers and crayons and was staring at the new kid. "Okay, now, everyone this is Michael...Michael Vaughn, he just transferred from France and I'm hoping that you will treat him nicely and welcome him into your class"