Nervous excitement: The first day of kindergarten in the Mat-Su Borough School District

The first day of kindergarten. Who is more nervous? The parent or the student?

It depends on who you ask.

Maddisen Lukin was one of hundreds of parents across the Mat-Su Borough School District bringing their child to their first day of kindergarten as she walked her daughter Sophia through the doors of Tanaina Elementary Thursday morning.

“It’s hard. She’s my baby,” Lukin said after she helped Sophia settle into her new classroom. “She’s excited. I think I’m more hurt than she is. She’s excited to be right there now.”

Lukin said this milestone came,  “faster than I thought.”

Lukin does share excitement, she said.

“I’m excited to hear about her first day. I’m excited to see my daughter flourish in her class,” Lukin said.

Jodi McAllister and Austin Lowell brought their twin daughters, Cicada and Soriyah, to Tanaina for their first day.

“So far, so good,” McAllister said. “We’ll see how the day goes, but we’re nervous for us and them.”

Both said they’re adapting to life as parents of school-aged children now, but it takes time to get used to.

“We know they’ll love it. They’ll make friends,” McAllister said.

Tanaina principal Cherrie Cyr said there also can be nerves among the staff.

“I get nervous because I want it to be perfect for our kindergartners, and our teachers, and our parents,” Cyr said. “I want it to be positive.”

There are some tears, but Cyr said the key is to continue to be positive.

Her advice to parents bringing their children to school for the first time?

“Trust the teachers in the classroom because we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have their best interests,” Cyr said. “It might be a little bit hard. But once the kids are here, they typically jump right in.”

Cyr said there are about 50 students registered for kindergarten at her school. The kids are split into classrooms led by teachers Melissa Griffin and Macha Thoene.

Griffin is starting her 12th year at Tanaina and 10th as a kindergarten teacher.

“It’s always exciting,” Griffin said of the first day. “I love seeing the joy on the kids. It’s an adventure for them. It’s an adventure getting to know the new kids.”

The first few days are all about acclimating and exciting the students, Griffin said.

“It’s a lot of getting to know each other, getting to know us, learning what school is like,” Griffin said. “For a lot of kids this is their first taste of school. It’s kind of scary for us too. They’re babies. We don’t want to scare them off. We want them to be excited to come back the next day.”

Thoene is starting her second year as a kindergarten teacher at Tanaina, after teaching eight years in Idaho. She’s now teaching at the same elementary school her husband attended as a child. Thoene tries to reassure the parents of her students.

“They’re going to be okay,” she said. “They’re coming into a safe environment here and the kids are going to have a good time. No need to worry about them.”

Tanaina also has a Pre-K classroom. Heather Trouy brought her 3-year-old son Silas for his first day.

“He went in and had a good time and didn’t even know we left,” Trouy said.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.