Gateway principals go on Come Join Our Gator Family tour in Monroeville, Pitcairn

For their Come Join Our Gator Family tour, Gateway’s elementary principals made sure to bring the beloved school district mascot.

And this Gator was a true Friend.

“I volunteered,” Ramsey Elementary Principal Katie Friend said during a break from wearing the mascot costume’s head. “I’m having a lot of fun dancing around the community with my colleagues, trying to drum up business for Gateway. We want to see these kiddos on the first day.”

She joined fellow principals Cyrene Bey of Dr. Cleveland Steward Jr., Jennifer Hoffner of University Park and Michael Matteo of Evergreen for an Aug. 8 bus ride around Monroeville and Pitcairn, making frequent stops along the way.

“With school starting in just a couple of weeks, we wanted to get into the community and really have our families and our kids excited about the upcoming school year,” Hoffner said. “We want to encourage families, if they have not yet registered — whether it’s for pre-K, kindergarten or K to 4 — that now is the time.”

Gateway is starting a prekindergarten program at her school, for children ages 3 and 4 who live in either of municipalities served by the district. And the principal were glad to help spread the word while doing plenty of meeting and greeting.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for families to come out and see us in the community, know our faces, know that we’re here to support them and educate them, and see us outside of the building,” Bey said. “It’s a win for all of us to collaborate and make sure that we’re on the right track.”

Part of the Come Join Our Gator Family mission involved potential recruitment.

“Gateway School District offers some great opportunities for employment for our residents,” Matteo said. “If you do have children, it’s a great way to have a job that’s flexible while your kids are in school.”

Andrea Jessel, district director of human resources, offered similar encouragement.

“We have ample non-educator opportunities within the district, including food services, paraprofessionals and custodians. None of them require any prior experience,” she said. “We have programs that could qualify individuals to become a paraprofessional without having a degree. So there are a lot of career opportunities here, and it’s an exciting time to join the district and help make an impact on the community.”

Beyond employment are other ways to become involved.

“We’re welcoming parents to volunteer and read to children, and bring their talents to our building, as well,” Bey said. “We’re offering that to families to make sure they know that they’re an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the building.”

School starts for students in first through 12th grades on Aug. 24, the day of kindergarten orientation. Kindergartners begin their journey through public school that Friday.

“It’s great to see new faces, to see the direction of the district,” Jessel said. “It’s a bright future ahead, and I’m glad to be a part of the solution that moves Gateway forward.”

As for Friend’s serving as the Gator, the Aug. 8 odyssey represented her first time in the reptilian costume, which she enjoyed thoroughly.

“I did dress as Homer Simpson one time,” she said. “I wanted Bart, didn’t get Bart, and I had to settle for Homer.” That costume was way bigger and way warmer than this.”

For more information, visit www.gatewayk12.org/resources/parent-resources/registration.