I recently enjoyed visiting Laurel Elementary School for their Back-to-School Bash kicking off their 2025/6 school year – There were bounce houses, face painting, free vaccines, free food, after-school program vendors, energetic music, and more!

While there, I had to pleasure to connect with Principal Tyrone Harris and we took a few moments to chat about how the school was doing and plans for the coming year. An area of focus for him right now is deepening the engagement with the parents of students, including a new Parent Teacher Organization and encouraging parents to help out in programs at the school. Communication is already strong, and this represents a next step in strengthen the school community.

I also chatted with Mae Nweke of Young Engineers, one of the after-school program providers. She uses interlocking bricks with mechanics to teach engineering concepts while having fun. As she described, ‘engineering is a critical skill for kids to learn nowadays and is highly relevant for the future.’

It was great to see the energy for the new school year - made me want to get a new pencil case and sharpener just to be a part. 😉 And also encouraging to see the teachers, staff, and programs investing in bringing up the next generation of Laurelites!

Auto-generated description: A man wearing a cap and sunglasses is smiling in a park with a colorful bounce house in the background.