The first day of school is a big day for everyone — parents, students and teachers alike.

Imagine preparing for not just a new year of lessons, homework, lunches and trips to school, but a new job, too—that’s what 16 educators faced last week on Bainbridge Island.

The school district hired the educators for seven schools, plus one occupational therapist. Their subjects range from speech pathology to French to math and science, with the majority taking on a teaching role.

Commodore Options School will see the most new faces with four hires spread between Mosaic, Odyssey and supportive learning positions. Students at Blakely Elementary and Sakai Intermediate Schools will see three new teachers each; Halilts Elementary will see two; Ordway Elementary, Woodward Middle and Bainbridge High School will see one each.

Alex Ford is one of the aforementioned faces at Sakai. Ford is originally from Minnesota, and she and her family moved to BI last year. At Sakai, she teaches sixth-grade language arts, social studies and conducts homeroom for her students, which means her first day at school kicked off right away. Since she’s new in town, she expected some curious looks.

“I definitely received that on the first day, but by Friday, the students had settled in and started establishing inside jokes, routines and language for our homeroom,” she said. “I was not ready for how welcoming and helpful the whole staff has been, and I feel so lucky to have landed here.”

Meeting a new community and making a good first impression on students, parents and colleagues was not the only hard part of Ford’s first day. She took a few years off of teaching, which meant getting back into the swing of things was a big adjustment. “The transition back to being ‘on’ for eight hours a day will definitely be my biggest challenge, but I’m ready for it,” Ford said. “Navigating new-to-me Washington standards, a new curriculum, and eighty students instead of twenty-five will be a big shift for me, but I’m excited.”

Sakai is unique among other public schools in Puget Sound in that it only serves grades five and six. During talks of potential school closures last year, parents spoke highly of the school’s ability to support students between childhood in elementary school and the onset of preteen years in middle and high school — and Ford is ready to do her part.

“I’m looking forward to supporting my students in this wonderful transition of their lives. I believe my students teach me more than I could ever hope to teach them, and this year will be no exception. I hope I can set them up to feel loved and empowered and carry that through with them as they navigate their own unique journey to a fulfilling life,” she said.