That sound heard across town last Friday morning was the ringing of bells on the many campuses of Riverbank schools on the first day of classes for the 2023-24 school year.
The Mesa Verde, California Avenue, Cardozo Middle School, Adelante High School as well as Riverbank High started their new year on Friday, Aug. 4, all part of the Riverbank Unified School District. Crossroads Elementary, part of the Sylvan School District, was to begin classes last Monday.
On the RHS campus, returning students were to have checked the district’s online website, Aeries, for their class schedules. Freshmen and other new students were lined up in front of tables in the quad in front of the library to receive their class lists as classes got underway.
New students were helped out by members of the Link Crew, upper classmen who volunteer to help them become more familiar with campus facilities and how to find them. The Link program, based in Santa Cruz according to school officials, has gone nationwide. They say that the program assigns two Link members to groups of 10 students who might need help, mentoring them through their first year, as needed.
Morning announcements on Friday were presented by Principal Greg Diaz, who welcomed students to their first day by pointing out that there were only 179 more days to their school year. Earlier, he had noted that the high school’s enrollment was up again this year, in the 820 range, if everyone registered were to make it into class.
Another thing Diaz mentioned was that he probably wouldn’t hold a rally until football Homecoming this season, but he wasn’t sure what game that would be yet.
