Welcome back! DPS61 students head back to the classroom

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur Public Schools students were welcomed back to the classroom on Monday morning.

At South Shores Elementary School, teachers lined the front sidewalk welcoming students as they hopped off the bus and were dropped off by their parents.

"Today is my favorite day for the whole year, and it's a great day," said Principal Kristi Mullinix.

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Jumping into her fourth year as leader of South Shores Elementary, Mullinix said she's looking forward to the school year. She's welcomed three new teachers to her building, but all of her teachers have put in a lot of work to make the new school year extra special.

"My sixth-grade teacher redid her whole classroom, she's totally changed everything. It looks wonderful!"

Mullinix added that success in the school year couldn't be possible without the community's support. On Monday a huge yellow and blue balloon arch welcomed students into the building. The arch was donated by Shop on Main. In addition, New Beginnings Church donated school supplies.

"I graduated from DPS and sometimes we take a really bad hit, but great things happen here every single day," she said.

To echo the community's support, Dr. Rochelle Clark has felt that support as well. She told WAND News on Monday the community helps set the tone for the new school year.

"I believe we are all on the same page," she said. "It's been awesome just having people reach out and ask how can I help. What can I do? Where do you need me? Just having all of us on the same page will also bring that positiveness to the school and to our kids."

Just days before the first day, DPS61 held a community lunch. Dr. Clark used this meeting as an opportunity to share updates and changes happening in the district. One of the changes came to the district's cell phone policy.

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Now, once students walk in the doors, they are not allowed to have their phones. They must be stored in the locker or in a designated area in the classroom.

Dr. Clark believes this change will not only help with academics but also address some behavioral issues.

"The students won't have that barrier anymore. You know, we talked about the things we did when we were in school, we couldn't bring our televisions to school. We couldn't bring our radios to school. Our students have access to everything within one simple device, so removing that would get them focused and really looking at what they can do to improve relationships face to face."

Finally, as the school year begins DPS 61 wants to remind families to download the EduLog app. This will give them access to tracking the student's bus and notify them when there are changes to the transportation.