The words “back to school” elicit a barrage of familiar images and memories: School supply shopping, worries about first impressions and days packed with classes, homework and after-school activities.

But for some, the experience this year means more than going through the same time-worn steps. A girl adopted after four years of foster care, a high-school senior recovering from a scholarship-compromising softball injury and a mother about to send her last child of six off to kindergarten see this school year as different.

For them, the first day back this month will be a first step, both exciting and unsure, toward a new stage in their lives.     

A sense of forever

Kaylee Munsch isn’t looking forward to the new and different at school this year. Instead, she’s excited that some things have finally stayed the same.

For the first time, she will attend the same school two years in a row. For the past four years, 9-year-old Kaylee bounced in and out of foster homes until she was adopted by Sheena Munsch in June.  

The fourth grader has attended four different schools since kindergarten. This will be the first year she knows that she won’t have to pack up and leave her friends and teachers at a moment’s notice.

“She can look forward to going back and seeing some of the same people,” Sheena Munsch said. “She’s secure now because she knows that she’s never leaving here.”

Having a permanent home means Kaylee can participate in field trips outside of the county, have sleepovers and go to play dates at friends’ houses, all things that weren’t allowed under foster care.

Sheena Munsch hopes that Kaylee will be able to make more friends and keep them now that she knows she won’t be moving any time soon.   

This summer brought other firsts for Kaylee:  amusement and water park visits, young Marines camp and swimming.  She’ll start choir at school in the fall and has a running list of activities, from Girl Scouts to basketball, that she wants to join.    

Most importantly for Kaylee, the adoption has meant that “forever” finally means something.

“I’ve never had a forever mamma,” Kaylee said.  “I know that I’m going to stay here forever and the animals we have, I’ll have them forever.”

Remaking a future

Emily Jennings dreamed of playing Division I softball for as long as she can remember. She began talking to recruiters at several universities on the east coast well before any of her peers were thinking about life beyond high school.    

Then in early in July, her plans changed. Torn cartilage in her shoulder that was aggravated by years of playing began to hurt so badly that she required surgery. Her arm now in a sling, she faces four months of recovery, putting her prospects of getting recruited to any of her top schools at slim to none.

Going into her senior year at Liberty High School, Emily is making her best effort to accept the heartbreaking news and embrace a future that may not include competitive softball.The disappointment was hard to bear at first, she said.

“Having (the surgery) caused all my dreams to fade away, which is definitely emotional for me,” she said. “There were a lot of crying episodes. It’s been a part of my life for so long.”

Her club team let her go and her college choices narrowed to schools with in-state tuition.

Instead of dwelling on her losses, she’s now trying to focus on upside of the situation.  It makes the college decision a lot easier, she said, and she will have more time for other activities.    

“I’m excited to have one more year left to live it up before something like this could happen again,” she said. “I want to try everything.”  

She’s going out for the soccer team because playing won’t aggravate her shoulder, and is looking forward to finally being at the top of her school.

“I want all the rest of school to know I’m the big bad senior and I’m willing to have fun,” she said.

She’ll worry about her college plans and softball future when the time comes, but for now, it’s all about relishing her last year of high school.    

Last first-ever day

With six children between the ages of 5 and 12, Jennifer Hoppe has been through 23 back to school experiences, to be exact.  

In routine alone, the beginning of school won’t differ much from years past.  

Instead, this year will bring an emotional twist. It will be the first time that all six of Hoppe’s children will be in school.

“Emotionally, it’s just that I don’t have little children any more,” she said. “It used to be that I had five children under five years old and now it’s weird to think they’re all kids now instead of babies and toddlers.”      

One interesting experience that comes with being a parent of six is watching multiple kids go through the same grade, she said.    

“It’s very cool because I can see their personalities come out,” she said. “It’s funny to see how all of them are so different — how they excel or struggle with the same teacher.”

She does dread the school supply lists, though. The family ends up buying hundreds of pencils and boxes upon boxes of paper to satisfy each child’s  requirements.  

It’s also a constant struggle during the school year to divvy up her time to help with homework.  

As summer comes to a close, Hoppe said she’ll miss the long nights and relaxing, unscheduled mornings.  

Going into this year, her guiding wisdom is simple.    

“I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff. To be happy if they’re fed, the homework is done and they’re in bed,” she said.  “Some days I have to remind myself that it’s okay if that’s all that gets done.”

 —Contact the writer at 636-0187.

“I want to try everything,” said Emily Jennings, a senior at Liberty High School. Jennings was hoping to earn a college softball scholarship, but those plans were dashed by a shoulder injury this summer. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE

Kevin Kreck

Lorina Hoppe, 12, goes over her school supply list recently as her five brothers and sisters look for items for their lists. Lorina’s mother, Jennifer Hoppe (background), has been amassing the supplies whenever she can find sales. This is the first year t Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

Jennifer Hoppe goes over a school list as her daughter Carissa Hoppe asks for help with her list. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE