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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor 

ALABASTER – Teachers and staff happily acquainted new students with their surroundings while returning students enjoyed an effortless return during a smooth start to the new school year at Thompson Intermediate School.

Students returned to TIS for the 2024-2025 school year on Aug. 8 and found the staff ready to get things going as smoothly as possible.

“I think it’s been the smoothest first day that we’ve had,” Principal Jamelia Hayes said. “It’s been excellent.”

TIS serves Alabaster City Schools students who are in grades four and five—marking an important transition in each student’s educational journey as students from Creek View Elementary and Meadow View Elementary join together for the first time as one student body. During this important transition period, TIS staff work to make sure the newcomers are acquainted with their new school and its amenities.

“They have to learn the lay of the land, but they’re doing a great job,” Hayes said. “They’re ready for it, and we’re here to help them.”

According to Hayes, this year’s educational pursuits are accompanied by the theme, “ACT” which is an acronym for action changes things.

In order to prepare for the new school year, teachers have worked behind-the-scenes to better themselves and their educational approach to ensure that testing standards are met. Hayes shared that teachers have been engaging in personal development and have been working towards ACAP readiness by looking at data from the previous year.

“Everybody is working toward the same goal here at TIS—making sure that students are happy and safe,” Hayes said.

During the first day of school, members of the Alabaster City Schools Board of Education visited TIS as part of a tradition that has been going on for 12 years. Each year, the board visits every school on the first day and TIS was the group’s third stop—at which they saw the school’s educators hard at work in their classrooms teaching their new students.

“I just want to tell you how wonderful it is to have all five of my board members visiting schools with me today,” ACS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said. “It’s just such an important tradition that we established 12 years ago. (Having) all five board members present, welcoming the students and teachers back—it’s just a wonderful experience and something that’s very unique to ACS.”