The school year at Monmouth Middle School has just started. Students are buzzing the halls and instructors are hard at work teaching.

The main question for the beginning of the year is, “How is the school year going so far?” I spoke with Laura Foulke, the new Special Education secretary, about her feelings on the subject. She said, “The school year so far is going well. I was a little scared, at first, meeting new people and wanting to do a good job. Now after a couple of weeks I’ve gotten to know what my new job requires. Everyone at the school seems friendly and is willing to help me out any way that they can.”

I also asked her, “Can you explain what the consolidation will do?” Mrs. Foulke went on to say, “The consolidation with Hall-Dale, Richmond and Dresden will have its good points and its bad points. The sharing of specialized teachers and administrators might be very overwhelming to many people. Learning about the new way the other schools function and getting to know new staff and students will be challenging. Hopefully, consolidating might provide services or academic choices that may have not been offered at Monmouth Middle School. The money saved on consolidating some services should hopefully provide extra funding toward areas that the school has the need for like technology.”

Then I asked Mrs. Foulke, “What do you feel will happen at the Monmouth Middle School?” She replied, “This year will be the beginning of a transition. For new staff unaware of procedures, change will not seem so big. For senior staff, change can be difficult. For students, I am sure that the entire Monmouth Middle School staff will do their best to have a wonderful non-problematic year as usual.”

Finally, I asked her, “Are you happy working at the school?” Mrs. Foulke replied, “Yes, I am very happy at school. Everyone has been very kind and the students have been pleasant and polite.”

After speaking with this Monmouth Middle School staff member, it is my impression that this school year is off to a good start with many adventures ahead.