The School Year is Ending Early

This year, the Fruita 8/9 is closing 2 days earlier than originally planned. These two extra days are to help teachers move out of their classrooms due to the closing of the 8/9 altogether. 

Brittany Smith, a 9th-grade comp literacy teacher, shares her opinion on having two extra days to move out, “School ending early is definitely going to be helpful for teachers. In a typical school year, we spend most of our last day grading and cleaning up, but having so much work to do will take a lot more time. By giving teachers two extra days to work, the school is making sure that teachers are able to focus on their job of working with kids for the last few weeks.” The school is trying its best to make sure everyone has enough time to move to a new school. 

Mrs.Smith concludes by saying, “Having our school close is really sad for a lot of us, especially those of us who have been here for most of its time. I feel like the school district has made some good decisions in helping staff to make this a smooth transition, but nothing they do could make this process easy for us.” many students are also sad to not be able to see their teachers again, but some teachers will be moving with the students to the Fruita Monument high school to teach classes there.

Since every teacher at the 8/9 is being internally displaced, each teacher needs a job. Mrs.Olsen, a Science and Biology teacher, is moving to a new school and is doing the same process as everyone else. Mrs.Olsen states that the school gives special requirements on how to pack their classrooms, “We have been given directions on how to pack, where to store things, and what we need to take out by the end of the year.  My classroom, as an example, has a small refrigerator and a microwave that are mine personally.  Not knowing if my new classroom will be able to accommodate these items at my new job, I don't know if I should be moving them to my home over the summer, or taking them to who knows where?” Packing a whole classroom up and moving after being in that room all your career is hard emotionally and physically because so many memories have been created in that room with so many students.

This situation creates many emotions too, Mrs.Olsen adds “With the school district forcing our staff out of the school very abruptly, I think it is only fair that they give us ample time to pack our personal belongings, and sort through years and years of materials, student examples, textbooks, fun stuff we have on the walls, every drawer in our rooms and not to mention the PODS.  Many teachers at this school do not have a clear idea of what their next classroom will look like, and how much space they will have when they move to a new school.” Even though they are putting the 8/9 to good use, many teachers don't have a job to go to after summer break.

Every teacher is in need of help, so even your help would make the process ten times easier.The school year will end on May 21st, 2024 due to the teachers needing extra time to pack.