HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County public schools hosted a back-to-school kickoff on Wednesday. They welcomed educators, district leaders, and students ahead of the first day of school.
5th-grade student Ayden Santos told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Keely McCormick that he is ready to take on the new year.
“I’m most excited for being with my teachers and doing very good questions and answering them all… getting good grades,” Santos said.
WATCH: Hillsborough County School District prepares to head back to school
District leaders talked about school being more than just academics. They stressed the importance of helping students build skills that last a lifetime through extracurricular activities.
Julia Mack, a teacher at Davidsen Middle School, said, “It is not just, you know, learning how to read and write. It is learning how to work as a team. It’s learning discipline. It’s learning how to work together.”
We also spoke to Ida Schuler at Lamb Elementary. She said she is excited to welcome students back to the newly A-rated school.
“I’m just excited just to get in those classrooms, make contact with students, and let’s just maintain that A for the next, this upcoming school year,” said Schuler.
We also caught up with Florida’s new Commissioner of Education Dr. Henry Mack about his top priorities.
“I think we need to really think about options for career and technical education, greater alignment between education and industry needs, and how we are sort of breaking down those silos to accelerate individuals into jobs faster,” Dr. Mack said.
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County responds to community concerns, acknowledges work still needed
After an hour-long tour of the entire facility with county officials, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Haley Zarcone got answers to many of those questions—and found the county acknowledges some issues that still need to be addressed.
