The details
For Courtney Billingsley and her daughter Khodi, Aug. 14 not only meant it was time to go back to school, but they would be doing so in a new district.
“We moved here two weeks ago from Las Colinas,” Billingsley said.
Khodi attends Hatfield Elementary while Billingsley’s son attends Pike Middle School, also in NISD.
To do her research on the schools, Billingsley said she attended a few of the events the district put on, such as kindergarten camp where she was able to meet several administrators and get familiar with some of the programs the school had to offer.
“We also attended meet-the-teacher night; that was really informative,” Billingsley said.
Place 1 trustee DeAnne Hatfield, who worked for the district for more than 30 years and has also served on the board since 2019, was on hand at Hatfield Elementary to help celebrate the first day festivities.
“I wanted to be here for the first day of school,” Hatfield said. “It’s just great to see all the smiling faces.”
Annelise Gingery, who has worked at Hatfield for four years as a speech pathologist, was excited to see both familiar and new faces.
“We’re so excited to see how much [the students] have grown over the summer and seeing the new relationships they are going to build,” Gingery said. “It’s a special feeling when you get to come back. Today is our Super Bowl.”
A closer look
This is the second year that students will be attending Hatfield Elementary in its new building. The replacement facility for Pike Middle School is brand new this year and is located adjacent to the old Pike Middle School building. The new middle school features extensive collaboration areas and a “learning staircase,” an architectural element designed to encourage social interaction.
