Dora students get school year refresher

link Eric Norwood Jr.: Portales News-Tribune

Dora student Sarah Walker hugs teacher’s aide Cindy Cordova on the first day of school on Monday.

Students told tales of the summer at the third-grade lunch table as they waited their turns to dump their trays. Down the hall, the school veterans of the 11th and 12th grades reclined in the dimly lit auditorium while Principal Brandon Hays gave them a welcome to school speech.

Dora schools are officially back in session.

In Audrey Belcher’s third-grade class, students were already being refreshed.

“Who remembers what place holders are?” she asked. Five or six happy hands shot in the air. These students were eager to get back to learning.

Fourth-grader Cashlin Fraze was definitely eager to come back.

“This summer I went to Dallas and to Amarillo, and a water park, and discovery camp with my church,” Fraze said excitedly. “But I finally get to learn now. My favorite subject is math.”

The elementary, junior high and high schools are all connected at Dora schools, so it isn’t uncommon to see a 6-foot-4 senior and a 4-6 elementary student sharing the same hallway. But it is one big Coyote family, and a few of those seniors have been around for the long haul.

“I’ve been going here since kindergarten,” said Dylan Privett, who said he’s excited to enter his last year of high school.

“I’m really excited for basketball season and it’s just real cool to be back with all my friends,” Privett said.

Floyd and Elida Municipal Schools also started Monday as well.

“We had a good first day. We welcomed 16 new students,” said Elida School principal Larry Gregory.

In Floyd, the school held a pep rally to open the year.

link Eric Norwood Jr.: Portales News-Tribune

Senior Dylan Privett carries lumber outside on the first day of agriculture class at Dora High School. Privett has been attending Dora schools since he was in kindergarten.

“We had a pep rally led by our cheerleaders to set the tone for the year,” said Floyd School principal Damon Terry.

“We also took the opportunity to recognize our seniors as leaders. I had them sit in the front of our assembly and challenged them to be leaders this school year,” Terry added.