SMITH ISLAND, Md. — Ewell Elementary School on Smith Island has reopened, bringing students back to a classroom in their own community for the first time since the school closed in 2023.
The school has 11 students this year, ranging from pre-K through sixth grade. The enrollment includes three pre-K students, two kindergartners, two first graders, and one student each in second, fourth, fifth and sixth grade.
Sommer Derickson, the school's lead teacher, has four of her children enrolled. She says the island community pushed to bring the school back by putting together a petition and proposal for the school board.
"The community decided that we wanted to petition the school board to reopen the school,” Derickson said. “And we did put a petition together and put a proposal together on what it would look like and how we could support it as an island.”
With all 11 students coming from homeschooling backgrounds, the return to a traditional classroom has been a new experience for everyone.
"Coming to school this year is a first time for everyone. Everyone has been homeschooling until this point. So it's an adjustment for everybody, and it's a really fun experiment. I think for us to be able to be around friends every day," Derickson said.
Jennifer Miller, the school's assistant teacher, says lessons are tailored to each student's academic level.
"It's an individual curriculum for each student, based on where they're at,” Miller told WBOC. “The 11 children had never been to school. They have all been homeschooled. So, taking that into consideration, we have them coming in at a lot of different levels.”
For some families, the reopening also brings back a piece of their own childhood.
Leslie Marsh is a paraprofessional at the school and attended Ewell Elementary as a child. She says the small-school experience remains special.
"Even though it was several kids, it was still unique because we were still the one room schoolhouse," Marsh said.
Marsh now has a child enrolled at the school and says she is happy her child will have a similar experience.
"It's an amazing feeling to know that my child will have the same childhood that I did,” Marsh told WBOC. “And that's pretty special.”
The reopening marks a new chapter for a school that has been part of Smith Island's history for generations.
