- December 26, 2024
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District professionals and school administrators and faculty welcome back students at Buddy Taylor Middle School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Superintendent LaShakia Moore helps a Flagler Palm Coast High School student find her class on the first day of school as School Board Chair Will Furry looks on. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The Matanzas High School class of 2028 board "the Ship" for Freshman Frenzy. Courtesy photo
District professionals Doug Glasco, Brandy Williams and John Fanelli were at Flagler Palm Coast High School to welcome students back. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC teacher David Vigo holds up a sign on the first day of school: "Trust in the process and you will leave a more complete person than you are today." Photo by Brent Woronoff
Superintendent Angela O'Brien assists a student at Wadsworth Elementary School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
School Board Chair Will Furry talks to two Belle Terre Elementary School students in the lunchroom. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Buddy Taylor Middle School Principal Cara Cronk talks to students as they arrive at school. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Superintendent LaShakia Moore encourages a student in the Rise Up program. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Information support specialists Tammy Freeman and Angela Coates worked with schedules and enrollments at Matanzas High School on the first day of school. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet shakes hands with District Director of Student Services John Fanelli. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC Activities Director Evana Fretterd welcomes back students. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler County School District professionals welcome back Old Kings Elementary School students with words and smiles. Courtesy photo by Flagler Schools
Superintendent LaShakia Moore observes a class at Old Kings Elementary School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
FPC Assistant Principal Stacia Collier (left) and Superintendent LaShakia Moore helps a student as School Board Chair Will Furry looks on. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brandy Williams, the district's coordinator of counseling services, greets Flagler Palm Coast JROTC senior instructor Melvin Baskerville outside of his classroom. Photo by Brent Woronoff
View from beyond the crayons in a classroom at Wadsworth Elementary School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools.
The first day of school at Wadsworth Elementary School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet helps Sean Smith find his class. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Superintendent LaShakia Moore talks to two students at Indian Trails Middle School. Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Flagler County School Board Chair Will Furry and Superintendent LaShakia Moore visit a classroom at Old Kings Elementary School with new principal Jessica Fries (right). Courtesy photo Flagler Schools
Rise Up teacher Durand Brown with Assistant Superintendent Angela O'Brien and School Board Chair Will Furry. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Late in the evening on Monday, Aug. 12, Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore was asked to pick out a highlight from the first day of school.
That was not easy, she said. Moore’s day began around 5:15 a.m. to greet the first bus driver pulling out of transportation to pick up students.
She greeted students arriving on campus and helped direct the car line at Buddy Taylor Middle School. She assisted Flagler Palm Coast High School students trying to find their first period class. Before the day was over, Moore visited all nine district schools plus the county’s charter school — Imagine School at Town Center. She also encouraged students in the Rise Up program in individual conversations and visited with iFlagler Virtual School administrators.
“My greatest highlight,” she said, “was going to each school, seeing so many of the students eager and happy to return and seeing their families as well as our faculty and staff. It is an exciting day because we get to see our students coming back.”
Angela Coates, an information systems support specialist was helping students with their schedules at Matanzas High School and said they all appeared to be happy to be back.
“They come in with all smiles, even if they don’t have the schedule they wanted,” Coates said.
There were barely any glitches on Day 1 of the 2024-25 school year, Moore said. The last student of the day arrived back home around 6 p.m., she said.
“That was a little bit later for the first day, but not too bad,” she said. “It’s typical for delays on the first day with students learning what bus to ride and where their stop is. As students ride the bus, those delays will reduce each day.”
Moore did not just observe during her tour of schools with Assistant Superintendent Angela O’Brien and School Board Chair Will Furry and other district professionals at various stops. She assisted in the cafeteria, she walked students to their classes. She even got on the bus radio to help dispatchers. One bus driver posted a “big shoutout” to Moore on the Facebook group, “Flagler Schools Parents.”
“I've been driving for Flagler Schools for 3 years now and I don't remember a time when the Superintendent rolled their sleeves up and came to transportation to help facilitate dispatching and trouble shooting issues,” the driver said in her post.
Moore said at each of her stops she tries to provide a helping hand.
There is no sense in just sitting and watching. For us, it’s about helping the schools support the students.”
— LASHAKIA MOORE, Flagler Schools superintendent
“There is no sense in just sitting and watching,” she said. “For us, it’s about helping the schools support the students. It’s an opportunity to walk a student to class, to encourage students to make good choices as we did in Rise Up, making sure they stick to the plan. In the elementary schools we open a milk carton, tie a shoe, whatever it is they need.”
Moore said students and staff adjusted to new security measures in accordance to House Bill 1473. All of the school gates must be locked or manned and the same for all exterior and interior doors. Classroom doors must all remain locked.
Perhaps the most fun part of the day, Moore said, was freshman orientation at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas high schools where the ninth graders learned what it means to be a Bulldog or a Pirate. Matanzas calls its assembly in the gym, “Freshman Frenzy.”
“It’s structured but extremely fun,” Moore said. “The focus is on camaraderie. They play games, facilitate a tour of the school, making sure they know where their classes are and what the expectations are in high school. The band plays, there’s face painting. It’s almost like a mini pep rally just for the freshmen. The upper classmen serve as ambassadors, leading the group in sharing information.”
The focus this year for “Flagler Forward,” Moore said, is making sure students and their parents know what career and accelerated programs beyond the core programs are offered so they can take advantage of the options.”
“This year we’re going to have a huge career day for both high schools offsite,” she said. “We’ll have fall career days for middle school students at both middle schools.”
The first day, Moore said, was “a great start to the school year.”
