MISHAWAKA — The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp. is ready for another year of school, welcoming students back for the start of the 2026-27 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
At Horizon Elementary School, Principal Courtney Koszyk, teachers and school administrators greeted students with lots of energy as they walked onto campus on Wednesday morning.
Every year, Horizon Elementary greets students with a new theme that will tie into the rest of the year and will follow them into classrooms. In years past, the school has done a construction theme, baseball, race cars and even a Greatest Showman circus theme. This year, the theme is Lego-bricks.
“I think if they’re worried about coming to school the first day, or apprehensive, then they know that we’re going to have something super exciting for them,” said Jon West, music teacher at Horizon Elementary. “So, [it] just kind of encompasses the whole day in fun.”
While PHM discourages parents from walking students to the doors, some parents do so anyway. There were mixed emotions from parents; most were excited, while others were nervous. And their students expressed similar sentiments.
Kelsey Rockstroh’s daughter Madi is starting kindergarten. Madi said she is feeling good about her first day but is nervous to meet her classmates.
“I’m feeling good,” Rockstroh said. “I didn’t think I’d be as nervous and as sad as I am. But I’m very excited, and we are ready to see what the year holds.”
As Rockstroh and Madi pulled into the parking lot and saw the excitement waiting for them at the front doors, Rockstroh thought, “This is not school. This is a party.”
“They did a fantastic job getting all the kids ready and pumped for school,” Rochstroh said. “And I think that that’s what’s most important is getting everybody excited and pumped up to make school fun.”
Email Tribune staff writer Juliane Balog at jbalog@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: PHM’s Horizon Elementary School greets students on first day with Lego
Reporting by Juliane Balog and Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Juliane Balog and Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
