Relief, excitement greeting Taylor School reopening

Brian Christoffersen doesn't have to describe how Taylor Elementary School families feel about the new school year.

He sees it.

“It's more than what they say - it's how they act, what they feel,” said Christoffersen, Taylor's principal. “They're excited.”

Taylor opens its doors for the 2009-10 school year today after last June's flood forced the school to close for 2008-09. The Taylor community has held tight to the knowledge that the school would reopen.

“The neighborhood association is called the Taylor Neighborhood Association,” Christoffersen said. “The school has always been the center of the neighborhood.”

And with the center back, the possibilities are endless. Parent Interventionist J Knight said he saw such opportunity after the floodwaters receded.

“Out of all the tragedy and all the bad things that happened, I saw the possibility for what we could accomplish when everyone comes together,” he said. “During the last year, we were able to plan, think innovatively about what we could do.”

Those plans have resulted in an improved fitness trail around the school and butterfly garden. Taylor will soon have a greenhouse and rain garden.

Taylor also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to expand its before and after school program. The Tiger Club, pre-flood, could serve only 50 students. Christoffersen said there always was a waiting list.

The new Boys and Girls Club Tiger Club Unit will serve 100 students and includes an expanded enrichment program.

More than 200 students in kindergarten through fifth grade will attend Taylor this year.

The school also has two preschool classrooms, each with a 20-student capacity.

The preschool program already has a waiting list and enrollment is expected to increase as more paperwork is filed.

School staff aren't surprised by the numbers.

“Students and families are returning to a place where they are comfortable,” said Peggy Linden, Taylor's family support worker. “We serve generations of families.”

Taylor students attended elementary schools throughout the district last year. Christoffersen said the year away progressed as well as could be expected.

“Kids are resilient,” Christoffersen said. “They went to new schools last year. They made new friends, they did their best, but there's something about going home - sleeping in your own bed and going to your school.”