Beyond the weeks of school supply and clothes shopping, making sure all needs are met before school begins, there is always one event that signals the first day of a new year is just around the corner.

That event was on Thursday, the annual Stop, Drop and Go at Cassville schools, where incoming students get to meet their teachers, drop off supplies, get their schedules and lockers, and so on.

With our oldest daughter going into middle school, that open-house-style evening brought back a flood of memories from my youth and going to urban schools in Little Rock, Ark. We started the evening going to our youngest’s preschool class, where her aunt is a para and she recalls all the teachers from the year prior. There was some confusion about her cubby hole moving, but I’m sure she will catch on soon. Clearly, it was spike, the class turtle, that once again stole the show, drawing the undivided attention of each preschooler who stepped in the room where his tank is located.

I honestly do not know if I have ever seen a kid as excited to go back to school as our youngest is. We keep asking her daily if she’s ready for school just to hear her exclamations of excitement and how she wants to wear the new cowgirl boots she got for her birthday a couple weeks ago. She wore them to Stop, Drop and Go, and the constant compliments on the footwear made it clear we could not deny her getting to wear them on day one at the very least.

I attended two different elementary schools in Little Rock, one for second through third grades and another in fifth. I don’t ever remember being half as excited as our youngest is. Then again, I never had any new cowboy boots to show off either.

I do remember in much greater detail the open houses at Dunbar Middle School and Little Rock Central High School. It took a considerable amount of time to navigate to each class and locate my locker in the 200,000-square-foot building, which was formerly the all-African American high school prior to integration in 1959. By my calculations, Dunbar is about 11 times the size of Cassville Middle School.

For that reason, I got a nice little chuckle about how close my eldest’s rooms are to one another, not to mention her locker is only the second over from her homeroom classroom door. Whereas I may have had a little sympathy for being tardy due to traveling back and forth to my locker, my girl will have no excuses.

Thursday was also the first time in decades I had to operate a combination lock. I thought I recalled how to do it immediately, but even ole dad had to take two cracks at getting the lock open the first time, much to all my girls’ chagrin. Seems like some of that city boy in me has faded away over the years.

Like the middle school, I routinely get a chuckle at the size difference from Cassville High School and Little Rock Central. Sometimes, it was impossible to get to your locker and get to class on time, especially when going from one wing on the first floor to the other wing on the third floor — with 2,400 other students navigating the halls during a 5-minute class change.

As much as I would not trade my prep experience for anything, I can’t help but compare how much easier it would have been to be at a school Cassville’s size instead of Central. There’s worlds of differences between the two.

It’s for many of those reasons I enjoy that my kids attend a smaller school. Sure, there are cons alongside the pros, but those differences in experiences is what makes well-rounded families and individuals. 

This year, I am looking forward to how much our youngest progresses in her second year of preschool, especially since she’s nailing numerous sight words and has the potential to enter kindergarten next year with an exceptionally solid foundation.

I am also excited to see how my oldest will navigate the switch to an 8-class-per-day schedule, getting to determine her schedule and electives, and growing out of the age of recess. It seems like just yesterday the oldest was where the youngest is.

Time flies, they say. For us, it certainly has, and seeing kids grow and change over the years and through grades and teachers is something special.

Here’s to another year and all our kids finding success in growth, whether it be in preschool or senior year. These are memories that will stick with the kids and their parents forever.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a four-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].