School is Fun
"Today is going to be so much fun," thought Shae Christoper Veach , age 5 , of Chandler, Arizona. "That's because today, I get to go to Basha Elementary."
Earlier that morning Shae had dressed quickly and rushed through his breakfast.
"Slow down, Shae" Mom and Dad said laughingly. Shae seemed more excited now than he had ever been before.
When Shae arrived at Basha Elementary , he ran up the steps to catch up with the other children.
Shae ran to his very own locker. As he opened the locker, Shae thought he heard rustling inside.
"Is there something inside my locker?" Shae wondered. "What could it be?"
Just then, Mrs. Gridley walked up and said, "You'd better hurry to class, Shae."
Shae decided to close his locker and investigate the noise later.
Shae was curious about the strange noise, but he joined the other children in the classroom. It was time for reading class -- one of his favorites! Mrs. Gridley opened a big book and said, "Today we're going to study the raccoon. And at the end of the day, I have a special surprise for you!"
Shae forgot all about the strange noise and tried to figure out what the surprise was going to be.
After learning all about raccoons, the children went to the art center.
"I want everyone to paint a picture of a raccoon," said Mrs. Gridley.
Shae worked very hard on his painting. When he was done, all the other children admired his painting.
"Shae, that is a wonderful painting of a raccoon," said Mrs. Hughes. "You are a very talented artist."
Shae couldn't wait to take the painting home and show it to Cade, Britt, Wyatt, Mere', and Poppy.
During lunchtime, Shae sat at the table with all his very best friends. They all laughed and shared stories about their summer vacations.
Suddenly, Shae felt something bump against his leg. Then the table gave a little shake, and a pitcher of milk spilled all over the table.
"There must be someone under the table playing a joke," said Shae. But when he looked under the table, Shae didn't see anyone.
"There are a lot of strange things happening today," thought Shae. Just then, the bell rang. It was time for music class. There were so many musical instruments from which to choose. "Shae liked the tambourines best. Mrs. Gridley taught the children a special song about a raccoon.
As Shae played his tambourines, he kept thinking about the big surprise Mrs. Gridley had for the children at the end of the day.
Now it was time for Shae to go to science class. But when Shae got to the classroom, he couldn't find his lab goggles anywhere.
"Where could they be?" wondered Shae as he looked under the desk.
Mrs. Gridley was talking. "Pay attention, children. I'm going to reveal my surprise." The teacher brought out a big box with a cloth covering it.
When Mrs. Gridley removed the cloth, there was nothing but a large, empty cage!
"The raccoon is missing," gasped Mrs. Gridley. "It must be running around loose in Basha Elementary."
Just then, Shae thought about the noise he had heard in his locker. Shae also remembered what had happened in the lunchroom today.
"I'll be right back," said Shae as he quickly ran from the room.
Shae knew just where to go. He ran right over to the lunchroom. As he listened at the door, Shae heard some strange sounds coming from inside.
Even though it was dark in the room, Shae wasn't afraid. He opened the door and saw the strangest sight in the world. A baby raccoon wearing his goggles! And that's not all. The raccoon was eating a leftover sandwich!
"Look what I found," said Shae with a big smile as he brought his new fuzzy friend back into the classroom.
"Shae, you found the baby raccoon!" said Mrs. Gridley happily. "You've saved the day."
"The other children gave a big cheer for Shae.
"This really has been the best first day of school ever," said Shae. "I was right when I told Cade, Britt, Wyatt, Mere', and Poppy that school is fun!"