As teenagers flooded into Callaway High School on Monday morning, one shirt that read “last first day” drew the attention of Jackson Public Schools administrators greeting students at the door.

“Last first day!” cheered Superintendent Errick L. Greene, prompting a smile from the senior striding past.

Across the city, students went back to school Monday for the start of the new year. For some, it was their first day in a classroom. For others, like Rakeem Burney, it would be the last time they celebrated the first day of grade school. 

“It’s my senior year, but it hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said, dressed sharply in sparkling white sneakers. “I’m just excited to meet all my teachers and embark on this journey and everything this year will bring. The fact that the superintendent came, too, means a lot to me.”

That was the goal, Greene said. By showing up on the first day, he wanted to show students his support and commitment to them.

“This is where the magic happens,” he said. “For all of the back of the office things I have to do, the most important thing is to be here, to observe what’s going on but also to be visible with scholars and team members. They need to know I’m part of this work on the ground.

“This fills my cup.”

The energy was high at Callaway — volunteers and cheerleaders shook pompoms as students meandered through hallways, greeting one another and checking out their schedule for the year — but district changes were also apparent.

As some students entered the high school with cell phone imprints clearly visible in their jean pockets, administrators warned them to put their devices in their backpacks, out of reach. 

Phones were already banned at JPS schools, but the board approved a stricter policy over the summer in an effort to curb bullying, violence and miscommunication with parents. 

It’s part of Greene’s vision for the school year — a safer, more scholastically successful and well-staffed district. He said academic excellence remains a top focus for JPS, but there’s also work to be done around district culture. That includes supporting teachers and strengthening communication with families.

And the work starts from day one, he said.

Just down the block at North Jackson Elementary School, preschoolers were learning for the first time how to behave in a classroom. Greene joined them later that morning, stacking rainbow blocks on a brightly colored rug, while principal Jocelyn Smith circled the classroom, troubleshooting and smiling at the young students.

Despite her cheeriness, by 9 a.m. on Monday, Smith had been awake for hours. 

“The first day for me is just like for the children,” said Smith, who’s been working in education for three decades. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I was too excited to see the children.”

For the elementary students, the first day is essential to the rest of the year, she said.

“They get an introduction to the curriculum … they learn our procedures and how to be safe,” she said. “But most of all, they start learning our expectations for them, and they start to build a relationship with their teachers.”

In a different classroom up the hall, Rakesia Gray was figuring out what her third graders would be interested in reading this year. She passed out a worksheet, and asked her students to circle the topics they liked best. 

“On the first row, tell me which one you’d rather read out,” she said. “Polar bears or penguins?”

The room was silent. Students shyly glanced at each other.

“Come on now,” Gray said, laughing. “Y’all have gotta talk to me!”