Cedar Hill School Kids Talk Teachers on First Day

Warwick, RI – Mayor Scott Avedisian and Interim Superintendent William Holland visited all the city’s schools for the first day of school Sept. 2, but for the kids at Cedar Hill Elementary, their teachers were the stars of the day.

“I like my teachers,” said fifth-grader William McClelland. Also, “I like how we can pick where we sit at lunch.”

“She’s really nice,” said Madison Siedliski, 10 of her fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Foley.

Isabella Sullivan was excited about her new teacher, Mrs. Lawson. “It’s fun to get to know her,” she said.

Sixth-grader Sophia Romano was also enjoying her first day. “I’m really happy with the fact that I have a lot of my friends with me,” Romano said.

“I do have a really nice teacher and I’m glad I have some friends in the class,” said fifth-grader Karinn Mudge.

“I like that I have a lot of my close friends in my class. I’m happy about my teacher because she’s really funny and a good teacher,” said Summer Barrett, about her fifth-grade teacher Mrs. LaPointe.

“I love my teacher. She’s so nice,” said Louby Sukkar, of his fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Zarrella.

Cedar Hill Principal Dr. Colleen Mercurio said the school, the largest elementary school in the city, has enjoyed the distinction of being the only elementary school to increase its enrollment in recent years. A new group of 30 children enrolled at the school over the summer.

“That’s a big increase,” said Mercurio. That means the families of those children likely picked the neighborhood, bordering East Greenwich, when they moved to the city.

“The teachers and I are excited the enrollement’s up again,” Mercurio said.

Mercurio led Avedisian and Holland on a brief tour of Cedar Hill before they continued their visits of the rest of the city’s schools.