LEARNING IN THE FAST LANE
A little anxious, but mostly excited, firstyear teacher Ryan Williams puts the finishing touches on the bulletin board in his racecar themed classroom at Waynesboro Primary School. Checkerboard curtains top the windows and matching notebooks lay neatly on the desk in front of each totsized chair. On the wall, racecars wait at a starting line to track behavior, and inspirational posters featuring famous drivers dot the back of the room. The first-grade teacher said he grew up sitting in classrooms geared toward girls and couldn't wait to use a theme he thought would appeal to all of his students. At right, Schylea Williams, a first-year kindergarten teacher, introduces herself to her peers at WPS's new teacher orientation. Burke County Public Schools held orientation sessions for all of their new teachers Tuesday morning. Burke County students will head back to the classroom Tuesday, Aug. 7; Edmund Burke Academy and Faith Christian Academy students will start the school term Monday, Aug. 13; and Waynesboro Mennonite School begins classes Wednesday, Aug. 15. See page 1B for more back-toschool information.