CHATHAM — Martha Ruggles Elementary students waved good bye to parents before running to hug and laugh with old classmates on the first day of school Tuesday.
Terry Nelson, a Chatham resident, said she always walks her 9-year-old son Cameron Williams to school.
“I just think that parent participation, overall, helps them throughout the school year, it motivates them to complete school,” she said.
Nelson said she expects her son to not only have a great first day, but a great year.
“I’m excited,” Cameron said on his first day of third grade. He said he was looking forward to meeting his new teacher and seeing his friends again.
Dozens of parents like Nelson crowded around the school at 7831 S. Prairie Ave., chatting with other parents or standing next to their children before the bell rang. Most were women.
David Colmer, another Chatham resident, said he wishes more fathers would be present because it sends a positive message. He drops off his fourth-grade daughter every day.
“I think it’s good for men to be out here,” he said, adding that it’s him a handful of others who are routinely present.
“It would be great to get more out,” Colmer said.
He said he’s invested in his daughter’s education, and will make sure the honor-roll student continues to get straight A’s this academic year.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
