As Skylar Montgomery waited for her mom to put her hair into a ponytail just a few steps away from Sealey Elementary School’s entrance doors, she fidgeted around – eager to start the school year.
After hugging and kissing mom goodbye, the first grader and her big brother Maurice Montgomery, 7, headed inside for their first day, taking part in the annual milestone as thousands of students across Leon County begin the 2026-27 school year.
“I’m excited about having fun,” Skylar said. As for Maurice, who’s taking on second grade, he said “I’m excited to learn and listen to my teacher.”
“They’ve been asking me all summer, ‘When is school starting? When is school starting?’ So, I’m glad they still have that enthusiasm to want to come to school, because not most kids do,” the siblings’ mother Diamond Montgomery told the Tallahassee Democrat.
The Sealey Elementary School community is starting the year off on a high note after seeing a major letter grade improvement with a jump from a C to an A in its assessment from the state education department.
“We were very happy about it, and it’s great when someone else recognizes your hard work,” said Sealey Principal Demetria Clemons, who has been leading the school for 19 years. “Our teachers work really hard, and I’m their biggest cheerleader. It was a great feeling.”
The first day at the elementary school was one filled with excitement as students reunited with their friends while teachers and administrators greeted them enthusiastically, asking them how their summer went.
“What I enjoy the most is seeing the students and how much they have grown over the summer,” Clemons said. “They become taller and they always want to tell me what they did over the summer, so I make sure to spend time listening to them.”
“Sometimes, I get to see some of the students going to sixth grade when they’re in the car with their parents, so I like to wish them well,” she added, “and I’m usually always able to give a kindergartener or two a hug. They’re a little nervous and cry sometimes, so I like to spend time hugging on them.”
With 387 students enrolled, 32 teachers and nearly 30 additional staff members, Clemons said the school is ready to keep up the good work that earned them an A grade this year.
“We did a lot of talking about data, looking to see where our students were and making sure we were teaching to the standard,” Clemons said. “But I have to tell you – no matter what our school grade is, the students, teachers and staff in this building mean more to me than a grade.”
While most students returned to Sealey from the previous year, the school is welcoming some new grade-level students as well – including Amelia Beasinger, a 6-year-old first grader coming from Tallahassee School of Math and Science. Her mom Elaine Beasinger is a little anxious about her adapting to a new school, but her father Cody Beasinger says he’s “excited for her to have a good experience.”
“My favorite subject is science, and I’m excited to learn new things,” Amelia said. “Activities and experiments are what I like to do in science.”
Teachers like Erica Tucker – a second-grade math and science teacher at Sealey who’s been teaching her class level for seven years now – are putting their best foot forward to get the students situated and pumped for the new school year.
Before the bell rang, each of Tucker’s students worked on a “Welcome to 2nd Grade” coloring sheet in her classroom, which was decorated with vibrant posters and had beanbag chairs at the front of the room.
“With all of these different personalities in one class, I’m looking forward to getting to know my students, meeting them where they are and getting them to where they need to be,” Tucker said. “I’ve been preparing to start teaching them math standards and benchmarks to make sure we can maintain our A grade and get them prepared for third grade.”
At the same time, teachers and administrators are using the first few days of the school year to go over expectations as well as the school’s policies and procedures to get students acclimated.
The scene at Sealey played out across Leon County on Aug. 12. Opening day at schools across the district ran smoothly Wednesday, according to an LCS spokesperson.
Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna pulled up to Sealey a few minutes after the bell rang to greet the Sealey community members and wish them a great first day. He started his morning at 4:30 a.m. to get on a Chiles High School bus as he rode along with the students, soaking in the experience.
“I’m just so thankful and appreciative to our bus drivers for picking our kids up in the morning, our food service workers for getting them fed, and our teachers,” Hanna said. “This is a large organization, and I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
Tarah Jean can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ‘A great feeling’: Sealey Elementary marks first day with an A grade
Reporting by Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
