The day after Labor Day was truly the first day of school at Shepherd’s Watch Christian Academy in Mattoon. The school opened its doors to 17 students from 4-year-old kindergarten through fourth grade for the very first time.
“The kids were very excited,” said administrator and teacher Gerry Schmidt. “It was a different atmosphere. There’s more one-on-one instruction, and that helped make things easier and more refreshing.”
Like any other first day – and the first week, for that matter – everyone had to settle in and find their comfort zone.