By Tyler Dahlgren

Freeman Public Schools rolled out the red carpet to welcome students and families Tuesday night, a grand celebration to kick-start the school’s 25th year in operation.

Attendees began spilling in at 5 p.m., as the school once again became the hub of its community. Most stopped for some delicious eats at one of the three food trucks parked near the school’s west entrance before finding an open spot in the cafeteria to chow down and chat with friends.

After filling up, they entered the activity fair and then moved on to the open house, which gave teachers (mostly at the elementary level) an opportunity to meet their new students and introduce them to their new classroom.

“Relationships mean so much,” said Erin Sieh, Freeman’s elementary principal. “They really are everything. We are that first face the kids see when they walk through that door, and it can really set the tone for the school year for many students and their families.”

After all, this is their new domain. Their headquarters for the next nine months. Sieh said the school wants to do all it can to make sure the students are both comfortable and prepared for an awesome school year.

“Kids have a lot of anxiety about coming back, even if they seem really comfortable at school,” she continued. “We get new students and they don’t know any faces, don’t know any teachers. That can be scary. This is a great way to reach families and let the kids know they are welcomed here. We’re happy they’re here and we’re excited to start off the school year together.”

For two-and-a-half hours, until the doors closed sometime around 7:30, Freeman was buzzing with palpable excitement.

Those doors, of course, are never really closed. Not to students and not to their families, a message the district hopes was received loud and clear by the droves of excited Falcons, from kindergartners to seniors, who brought the school back to life Tuesday night.

“Freeman has grown quite a bit recently, and sometimes we take for granted and assume that our families are fully aware and well-versed on everything we offer,” said Sieh. “This is a great way to welcome new families and showcase all the great things going on in our building.”

Those offerings are expansive, and, consequently, so was the activity fair program. Booths lined all four walls of the gymnasium, as different student organizations visited and pitched their clubs and activities to passers-by. The booths, manned by both current students and faculty advisors, seemed to share a common sentiment.

“Just try it,” said first-year third grade teacher Autumn Hardesty, who was stationed at the junior high girls basketball booth. “That is the message I’m sharing tonight. Just try it, even if you’ve never done it before. You never know the people you’ll meet, the connections you’ll make or how much you can grow through the experience, even in just nine junior high basketball games.”

Freeman’s teachers, especially new ones like Hardesty, benefited from the first annual activity fair and open house just as much as the students did. It was a perfectly-constructed opportunity to make a connection. Remember, it all comes back to fostering relationships. And that goes both ways.

“I think the teachers are just as excited to meet their kids as the kids are to meet their teachers,” Sieh laughed.

Surely, the kids are sad to see summer go. That’s a tale as old as time, and a song as old as rhyme. But the rhythm inside the schoolhouse on 8th Street in Adams was upbeat and lively. The students, and the staff alike, were rejuvenated. They tossed bags and played other games and laughter brimmed through the gym and up to the rafters all night long.

“Seeing kids back on the first day of school is kind of why we get into this field in the first place,” said superintendent Andrew Havelka, who roamed the activity fair and shared conversations with students and families throughout the night. “It’s so fun to see everybody with their backpacks on and ready to come in and learn."

That’s the thing about this time of year. There’s a buzz, and it’s infectious. Even the students who answer Sieh’s “Are you excited to be back?!” questions with a “No way” do so with a wry smile.

“Sometimes they’ll say ‘I just want to go back to see my friends,’” Sieh said. “And you know what? That’s a win in my book. August is one of my favorite times of the year. You start over. You start fresh. Everything is exciting, and everyone is excited.”

Most students were ready and willing to admit it: Deep down, they’re glad to be back.

“I’m excited for sports, to be a leader on my teams this year,” said eighth-grader Bekah Delhay, who plans on participating in volleyball, basketball, track and softball. “Our school is special because of the teachers and how they care for us and take care of us. They’re all welcoming and so nice.”

That seems to be the general consensus. Adams is a welcoming community, and Freeman is a welcoming place.

“Everyone here is so welcoming, very positive and nothing but helpful,” said Becky Weyer, who is entering her first year teaching K-12 Media after 16 years in another district. “Events like tonight just make me happy to be a teacher. Especially after the last few years and how difficult they were for everyone. You see the kids and how excited they are, and it just makes you happy.”

Sieh, who enters every year with a lifelong love of learning and an eagerness for that first bell to ring, said that the event encapsulates everything public education is about.

“There is nothing more special than having all of these kids walk through the door and to watch them learn and grow and develop and have success,” she said. “As a principal, that’s a really amazing part of my job. And I see that growth in not only the kids, but in the staff as well, and that’s special.”

All of that, and so much more, lies ahead.

It’s a new year for Freeman Public Schools, and the doors are officially open.