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MILL SPRING—The first day of school Monday had an all-too-familiar feeling for Polk County Middle eighth-grade teacher Chase Jackson.

Jackson, serving as an interim math teacher for the 2024-25 year, welcomed his eighth graders into the same room where he once sat as a Polk Middle student. He did so in suit and tie, perhaps clad a bit differently from his middle school days.

The familiar, though, felt just fine.

“It is good to be back to the same middle school and even the same room I had math in and am now the teacher for,” Jackson said. “I feel optimistic about this year, and I have been in the same spot as a lot of these students.

“It feels a little weird being a teacher when I have been a student for so long; I would say it was about the same amount of nerve-inducing as being a student. To be a teacher at Polk County means a lot in that I am able to show the students that you can come from a small place like this and go on to do great and big things.”

Doing great and big things no doubt was on the mind of students and faculty alike throughout Polk County Schools as the district opened the new academic year. Excitement filled the air from Saluda to Sunny View, Polk Central to Tryon and all points in between as the year began with sunny skies and high hopes for success.

District officials reported an opening day largely free of issues, setting the tone for what Superintendent Aaron Greene hopes will be a year worthy of this year’s district motto.

“We were excited to get the 2024-2025 academic year started today,” Greene said. “Our Polk Schools theme this year is ‘Energize, Engage, and Empower,’ and I certainly encountered lots of energized and enthusiastic kids and staff today. The feedback I received this afternoon is that our schools have had a great start to the year.

“We will be sending out more information about this year in the coming days and weeks. I want to thank all of our students, family and staff for a great first day, and I wish everyone the best for a productive year.”

Jackson was not alone in returning to his middle school alma mater—Jared Searcy settled into a seventh-grade classroom as a math teacher, while Jerry Cox moved from overseeing in-school suspension to his new home as a seventh-grade social studies teacher.

“It was definitely interesting to sit on the other side of the desk for once,” Cox said. “It was cool to see that when I put on my PowerPoint that I graduated from Polk County High School, how many kids didn’t know that some of their teachers went through the same school that they did. They seemed shocked, like they expected all their teachers to be from different places. I had very few nerves compared to the first day when I was a student. I felt in control, and the kids readily paid attention.

“I’ve always wanted to give back to the community that raised me and helped me feel like a ‘normal kid’ or a regular Wolverine when I was at school.”