The first day of school for the children of primary school St. Antonius Abt in the Eindhoven church village of Acht was a special one this year. Several classrooms were destroyed by fire in June. The school has solved it for the time being with emergency rooms. Miss Annette Thompson: “It’s still a bit of work, but it’ll be okay.”
On Monday, the square of the school on the Maasstraat in Acht is teeming with children. It seems as if they haven’t seen each other for an eternity and first there is a lot of catching up to do in the schoolyard. “I got up early this morning,” says a girl. “I like seeing my classmates again. My vacation was nice, but it lasted long enough. I hope I get a nice master.”
“It’s extra exciting for the kids.”
It was not only getting used to for the children, the parents also had to get up early on the first day of school. “That was quite difficult this morning. We have to get back into the rhythm alone. We were still in the ‘holiday routine’. It is extra exciting for the children, because they end up in other classes. Because of the fire they are now in emergency rooms. They solved that pretty well at school,” says a father who comes to take his children to school.”
“The enthusiasm is nice to see.”
A little further on, Miss Annette Thompson drums her group three together. “I’m looking forward to the new school year. Group three is a special group. The children learn to read and write within a few months. I think the enthusiasm of the children is beautiful to see.”
The consequences of the fire at the end of the previous school year are still visible for the children and teachers of primary school St. Antonius Abt. The classrooms destroyed by fire are fenced and the children of the highest groups are in another location. “It’s still a bit of work, but it’ll be okay,” Annette assures.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty: when are we going to move?”
School director Kim Keesmekers is looking forward to the new school year, but has mixed feelings about it. “Seeing the children gives a good feeling. In addition, it is also a special year. There is still a lot of uncertainty. For example, when are we going to move? Hopefully soon and then we will all be at one location again,” she says. “But we’ll just get on with it. It’s nice and village-like at our school here in Acht and we all do it together.”
When the children are in the classrooms, the fathers and mothers say goodbye to their child from the schoolyard. The windows are waved and the kisses fly back and forth. A single child cries, because that too is part of it. The school year has started again.
