Jennifer Hammond stood outside Herff Elementary School early Thursday, greeting early arrivals to the first day of school in the Boerne ISD.
A hug for her PTO president. Photos with arriving families. Directions dispensed to a first time Herff attendee. Hammond remained in the thick of it, this being her first year as the Herff principal.
“We are super excited to welcome all our Herff Hawks back,” Hammond said. “We have an amazing staff. They have worked hard to get their rooms ready, prepare the curriculum for our students, and we’re going to have an amazing year. Hammond spotted an early arrival, PTO President Dena Tripodo and beckoned her over. The pair hugged as Tripodo’s two Herff Hawks, second-grader Lucas and fifth-grader Nico, smiled and said hello to Hammond.
“I have really enjoyed becoming part of them,” Hammond said. “This is my first year at Herff, although I have been in administration for 15 years and an educator for 30 years.
Hammond expected somewhere between 620 and 630 students Thursday, numbers similar to last year in an area of town still showing signs of growth.
Tripodo, who works remotely as an IT director of applications for a hospital in Long Island, New York, said she took Thursday and Friday off work to focus on her children's return to school. Her sixth grader Douglas, came along to Herff as well, although his day at Boerne Middle School North would not start for another hour.
“I took the (PTO) president’s role this year, which I’m really excited about,” Tripodo said. “My team is amazing, the ladies on this board are phenomenal, and we’re looking forward to bringing the community and the school back together.”
While Thursday marked Hammond’s first day at Herff, it became the last “first day” for BISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Price, who announced in June he would retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
“My last ‘first day’ was (Thursday) today, and just like my very first day back in Anahuac, Texas, so long ago, it was filled with emotion and excitement,” Price said, looking back to the start of his 37-year career.
“Many things have changed, some for the better and some not. But what has not changed is my love for the children,” Price said. “It is still very awe inspiring to me to see the faces of our students and parents; to know that I will be a part of their educational process.
“If anything, today is more humbling in the realization that my role is so very small, and that real heroes are the wonderful teachers and staff at our campuses,” he added.
Price gave a glimpse into what the first day of school means for a superintendent.
“The ‘first day’ for a superintendent is one of the best days of the year,” he said. “I can never sleep the night before and wake up at 3 a.m. like a kid on Christmas Day, excited about going out and visiting each campus meeting the students and saying hello to the staff.
“I am also asking the principals what they need and how I can help them. Those are very meaningful conversations for me,” the superintendent added.
Hammond said she had a message for Herff’s parents and children: “We want our parents to know that their children are safe with us, and they can trust us. It’s really an honor to be able to do this job and to serve these kids and these families every day.”
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