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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
nic.miller@elizabethton.com  

After a very tough year for school systems around our area due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things are finally beginning to look up for Elizabethton City Schools as they hope to return to a sense of normalcy.

One school in particular, East Side Elementary, is getting prepared for an amazing school year, despite any challenges they may face.

In terms of keeping things safe and sanitary for students this school year, Principal Travis Hurley states that will be a major focus, saying, “We are still keeping some protocols in place, such as spreading out students to the best of our ability during lunch and in classrooms as well as using water bottles instead of water fountains.

“Masks are optional at this time, and we are urging parents to keep their child home if they show symptoms or have a fever of 100.4 degrees.”

With this upcoming school year being the first one since the pandemic in 2020, East Side is excited to kick things off. Hurley is excited for one reason in particular, saying, “I am excited for us to have our kids back in the classroom. As a principal, I am glad to have them back and give them some sense of normalcy after last year.”

Vice Principal Emmy Morganstern expanded on the topic of having students back at school, saying, “It is going to be a good thing to be able to have our extracurricular activities back, things like our PTAC meetings again as well as flag football games. We get to do all of the things that make school fun, as opposed to last year where we were on the business side of things because of the hand we were dealt.”

East Side is a very special school for both the faculty and students, but Principal Hurley expressed that this year will be even more special, saying, “Starting with this Summer, we had a challenge of which student could send the most unique picture of them reading. We had one student submit a picture of them reading while on horseback as well as one student reading on a pool float.

“Drop off is another special thing we have here at East Side. When the kids come into school, we have loud music, a smoke machine, and we have the pirate ship up. It’s such an amazing time and something that starts the day off right for the students.” 

With things returning to normal for many aspects of life in Carter County, it is safe to say that the 2021-2022 school year at East Side will be a special one for both faculty and students.