Video: New Albany Teachers, Faculty And Staff Prep For New School Year

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NEW ALBANY, MISS. (WCBI) – All across our area, schools are gearing up for a new year.  This morning, hundreds of teachers, faculty and staff in the New Albany School District gathered for an annual convocation.  WCBI’s Allie Martin shows us how prepare for thousands of students.

For these New Albany teachers, their yearbook photo is taken before classes even begin.

Each year, teachers attend a district wide convocation.

Guest speaker, MSU President Dr Mark Keenum had a challenge for educators.

“To stress the importance of education, and helping to inspire our young people to achieve greatness through getting a good education and they certainly get a great education here in New Albany,” Dr. Keenum said.

After the convocation, the day kicked into high gear.  Here at the elementary school, landscapers are working hard outside, while inside, teachers are meeting with the principal and making sure their classrooms are ready for students.

Jasmine Braddock will start her full time teaching career in this second grade class.

“I am very nervous, people ask me, are you excited, nervous? I say all of that, every bit of it,” Braddock said.

She has been working hard for weeks to make sure her room promotes a fun learning environment.

“Starting with younger grades, teaching them how to read, not only how to read, but to love to read, because once you love reading you just have that thirst for knowledge and you want to continue learning,” she said.

Braddock is especially excited to teach second grade, because her second grade teacher made a huge impact in her life.

“She had her rules and she had what she expected of us,  but you could tell at the end of the day how much she actually loved us and I try to model that,” Braddock recalled.

Braddock, along with 300 colleagues will start a new school year on Wednesday.

More than 2,200  students will be in New Albany Public Schools this year.