BLOOMINGTON — Students at Cedar Ridge Elementary School were eager to start their first day of school Wednesday morning.
Many waited at the door, some were dropped off by parents, others arrived on the bus; some were smiling, while others were sad. The first day of school is always a mix of emotions, as it means summer is over and homework assignments are back.
Cedar Ridge Principal Heather Rogers and McLean County Unit 5 Superintendent Kristen Weikle were there to greet students, making sure each one received a warm welcome before helping them get where they needed to be.
“I’m so excited to have all the kiddos back at Cedar Ridge,” Rogers said. “The first day of school is all those smiles, the staff is energized; I get to greet the students and get to know them better. Cedar Ridge has been my home for 10 years and it’s nice to come home every fall.”
Students enter Cedar Ridge Elementary School for the first day of school at 2808 Breezewood Blvd. in Bloomington Wednesday morning.
Rogers said the school had a great turnout for their Back to School Night on Tuesday, when students, families and staff were able to get know each other better. Students also had the opportunity to participate in several activities such as getting their nails or hair done, while families were able to pickup necessary supplies for the school year.
Cedar Ridge recently received a Walking Path/STEAM Lab as a dedication from State Farm, Sunset Rotary, Daybreak Rotary, Cedar Ridge Rocket Boosters and Platinum Plumbing, which students will be able to make use of this year. The Walking Path/STEAM Lab is an interactive learning walk located just outside the school.
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“There’s a level of excitement in the air on the first day of school that I think is hard to replicate. There’s just a different level of energy that comes in those first few days,” Weikle said. “I’m excited about a more typical year for everyone and I can’t wait to get in classrooms and see all the great learning that’s going to take place by our students.”
Weikle added that the first day means different things for different students. For some, it’s their first day of kindergarten, first day at a new school or it’s their last first day in Unit 5.
Cedar Elementary School Principal Heather Rogers and Unit 5 Superintendent Kristen Weikle.
This will be the last year for fifth grade student Jayce Smith, who was all smiles heading into school.
“I feel good,” Smith said. “I’m actually excited about school this year.”
Kindergartner Jude Alexander said he is happy about the first day of school and is most looking forward to science class.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School at 2808 Breezewood Blvd. in Bloomington.
Rogers also offered some advice for students for the 2022-23 school year.
“Enjoy your learning; any K-5 student should have a love of learning to set the course for the future,” Rogers said. “We want to provide a safe place for students to do that.”
The Cedar Ridge Elementary School sign at 2808 Breezewood Blvd. in Bloomington Wednesday morning.
Rogers said Cedar Ridge’s theme this year is “kindness grows here,” and she looks forward to growing kindness and community.
Thursday will be District 87’s first day of school; community members should watch out for buses, children walking to school, and be prepared for heavier traffic flow.
Photos: Efforts to combat food insecurity in Bloomington-Normal
Midwest Food Bank in Normal
Bananas ready to be distributed from Midwest Food Bank in Normal.
D. Jack Alkire
Midwest Food Bank in Normal
A package of Tender Mercies from Midwest Food Bank (MFB). The microwaveable meal consists of rice and beans and helps fight food insecurity wherever MFB distributes them.
D. Jack Alkire
Bread for Life Co-op
The Bread for Life Co-op at Home Sweet Home Ministries is designed like any other grocery store in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Bread for Life Co-op
The Bread for Life Co-op has a frozen and refrigerated section like any other grocery store in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Bread for Life Co-op
Peggy Ann Milton stocks and arranges baby products at the Bread for Life Co-op in Bloomington. Milton is a member of the co-op.
D. Jack Alkire
Bread for Life Co-op
Fresh produce from local farms is the first thing shoppers see when they enter the Bread for Life Co-op in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Western Avenue Community Center
William “Junior” Hosea and Martha Saldana unload boxes of fresh produce from Cook Farm as part of the community supported agriculture program at Western Avenue Community Center. The produce goes to families in west Bloomington’s food desert.
D. Jack Alkire
Western Avenue Community Center
Kristen Buhrmann stacks boxes of fresh produce at Western Avenue Community Center for the start of this year’s community supported agriculture program.
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West Bloomington Revitalization Project
A box of fresh produce from Cook Farm as part of West Bloomington Revitalization Project’s community supported agriculture.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden
Caleb Phillips picks lettuce with his apprentices at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest. The garden grows food for families in Bloomington as well as selling produce on Market Wagon.
D. Jack Alkire
Veggie Oasis
Karla Kossler, left, gathers produce from the downtown Bloomington farmers market for the weekly Veggie Oasis. Chelsea Meiss, right, works at Cook Farm and explained what herbs were and what they were good for.
D. Jack Alkire
The Table
Kyan Glenn, center, sells produce from his farm, The Table, at the downtown Bloomington farmers market in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Veggie Oasis
Harrison Lin, right, tells Barb Pankonen, right, about produce at the Veggie Oasis at West Bloomington Revitalization Project on the corner of Allin and Washington streets in Bloomington, Illinois.
D. Jack Alkire
Midwest Food Bank
A volunteer operates a forklift at Midwest Food Bank in Normal.
D. Jack Alkire
Midwest Food Bank
Pallets of water being held in Midwest Food Bank’s 100,000-square-foot warehouse.
D. Jack Alkire
Midwest Food Bank
An 800-pound bag of Apple Jacks that Midwest Food Bank salvaged and turned into weekend “hope packs” for local children during the school year.
D. Jack Alkire
Midwest Food Bank
Apple Jacks packed into a “hope pack” for local children during the school year.
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Midwest Food Bank
A standard disaster relief pack that Midwest Food Bank packs.
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Midwest Food Bank
The refrigerated section at Midwest Food Bank in Normal.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Apprentices and volunteers help weed garden beds at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
An apprentice adds mulch to the asparagus bed at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Caleb Phillips (right) and Jan Turner (left) discuss prices for selling produce from Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington. Turner started the garden with her child Col Connelly as a high school project in 2016.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
A peach grows at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington. Sunnyside planted peach trees in 2017 and has added cherry and apple trees since.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Caleb Phillips, second from right, helps apprentices remove lettuce at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest lies just south of Cargill Inc. in Bloomington. Sunnyside started in 2016 and has since grown to help feed local communities and train apprentice youth.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Youth apprentice at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Caleb Phillips, left, helps apprentices harvest lettuce last month at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest welcomes youth apprentices on Illinois Street in Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest
Apprentices can work up to 100 hours a summer for $1,000 at Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest on the west side of Bloomington.
D. Jack Alkire
Contact Olivia Jacobs at 309-820-3352. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @olivia___jacobs
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