ANSONIA, CT (WFSB) - As students headed back to school this week, district leaders in Ansonia placed a strong focus on improving attendance.
According to leaders, missing even a few days can make it difficult for students to keep up with the curriculum.
After a long summer of sleeping in, alarm clocks were back in action Thursday morning as classes resumed at Ansonia High School.
“It’s a little nerve wracking you know,” said Addison Brunetti, a senior. “It feels so weird. I got ready [Thursday] morning and I was like ‘this is my last time getting ready for the first day of high school.’ It’s so intimidating.”
Brunetti was one of 2,300 throughout the district’s four schools to head back to school for the new year.
Freshman Eva Kinard said she was a bit nervous to be in a school with all new people. However, her focus is her grades.
“The goal is to graduate,” Kinard said. “And hopefully get all good grades. Hopefully graduate with honors.”
Superintendent Dr. Joseph DiBacco said the real wake-up call is consistent attendance is key to student success.
“Every day you miss, you get further and further behind,” DiBacco said. “It’s really hard to catch up, especially with multiple subjects. It gets harder and harder.”
School officials said the district launched a renewed attendance initiative this year as part of its broader goal to foster a positive, inclusive learning environment that supports curiosity, critical thinking, and personal development.
One aspect of the new year students said they were excited about was a band new Nolan Field at Ansonia High School. The finishing touches were being put on the sports complex. It’s where the football team has played on natural grass for 100 years.
“A lot of times, our natural grass was not the surface that we could play our semifinals and other games on,” DiBacco explained. “So, now it’s going to be a new tradition on Nolan Field.”
Twenty-two state championships later, the school is getting a turf field. DiBacco said it should be ready for the first home game against Seymour High School on Sept. 19.
It won’t just be for football.
“It’s going to be amazing. We are going to play better than ever this year,” said Emma Clemons, junior and girl’s soccer player.
School officials said students will ease into the school year with classes on Thursday and Friday before enjoying a weekend break.
Full schedules were set to resume on Monday, August 25.
DiBacco told Channel 3 that he’s excited for the new year and urged families to make attendance a top priority from day one.