ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Can you feel it?
Summer vacation is coming to an end, and school communities are gearing up for the new school year physically and emotionally.
Like the calm before the storm, dozens of backpacks were stacked up in the gymnasium at the Emerson Family Y in Ferguson in anticipation of a back-to-school event Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, at Brentwood’s McGrath Elementary, two boxes of chalk mark the waning moments of summer vacation along with a note from the parent-teacher organization.
It read, “Please use for chalk the walk.”
Shortly after noon, parents and students turned out to decorate the sidewalk for the first day of school, Monday. Julie Mathis and her children are among those who got busy.
“All the kids are just really excited for this school year to begin,” said Mathis.
Her daughter corrected her.
“I’m not excited,” she said.
“Oh, you’re not,” said Mathis, laughing. “Well, their parents are excited for school to begin. And we love our Brentwood elementary schools.
Artistic messages drawn on the sidewalk included “Not all heroes wear capes,” “We rise by lifting others,” and, right by the front door, “Awesome teachers enter here.”
By mid-day in Ferguson, all those backpacks had been moved outside, and an army of community volunteers turned out to distribute school supplies to students’ families.
Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones said, “This is our seventh annual back-to-school give away from the city of Ferguson.”
St. Louis County Council member Rita Days said, “Whatever it is we can do to make sure that transition is better, that’s what we’re doing.”
Marc Mares, a volunteer with the Kids & Families in Need Foundation, said, “The more kids we get out here, the more families, the more kids we’re going to help.”
Brentwood’s McGrath Elementary is in the process of being replaced. For community members, new construction will lead to a whole new set of back-to-school rituals.
One little girl described her artwork.
“I made a dinosaur because I just really like dinosaurs,” she said. “And then I made it wearing a hat in purple with an M on it for ‘McGrath.’ I wanted to put a few hearts on it because I just really like this place.”