Edwardsville Elementary Students Tour Third Grade Classrooms

WORDEN/EDWARDSVILLE - Worden Elementary School met its newest learners during a special “Worden Welcome” event.

On Friday, May 1, 2026, second graders from Midway and Hamel Elementary Schools were bused to Worden, where they will attend third grade next year. Students had the chance to meet each other, tour the building, talk with current third graders and hear from Principal Dana Morton.

“This allows them to kind of put a face with a name,” Morton said. “It just gives them the opportunity to come and actually see it with their own eyes.”

Morton explained that every intermediate school in Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 has “feeder schools” and will host a similar event over the next few days to introduce the second grade students to their new school building.

Similarly, Worden’s fifth grade classes will travel to the middle schools to tour these schools before they transfer next year. Lincoln and Liberty Middle School students will tour the high school. The goal, explained Morton, is to “settle some nerves” and build each school’s community.

Principal Matt Sidarous, who oversees both Midway and Hamel Elementary Schools, has spoken to his students about their move to Worden. Morton also stopped by the schools earlier in the year to introduce herself.

On Friday, May 1, students toured Worden Elementary School, played on the “big kids’ playground,” and ate lunch together so they could meet one another. Morton welcomed the students to Worden and showed them around the school.

She hopes the tour made the “kiddos” a little more comfortable. It can be intimidating for students to move to a new school. Administrators and teachers in District #7 have found that events like the Worden Welcome are a great way to ease the transition and make the first few days of school go more smoothly come fall.

“We, even as adults, do better with more information,” Morton said. “It’s an opportunity for those second graders to learn about third grade.”

In August, Worden will host another introductory day where families can come together to meet the teachers, tour the classrooms, and learn more about the school. The third grade teachers will welcome students, and a parent night will also answer any questions that caregivers might have about the transition.

Morton noted that these events help calm the parents’ concerns, which makes it easier for them to comfort their kids as they prepare for the change. She believes “these types of transitional activities are great for everyone” and allow the kids to build excitement before the school year starts.

“We answer questions on the curriculum, the social/emotional bar. All those things kind of arise as you get older, and especially when you’ve been in one building your whole educational career, and then you’re going to another one,” Morton said. “It also comforts those parents, so that those parents can comfort some of those fears.”

The ultimate aim is to help quell some of the anxiety that can come from a big change like this. Morton, Sidarous and the rest of the D7 team are eager to see the second graders go on to shine at Worden next year.

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