Brooklyn Sweet has found herself back in a Powell elementary school classroom — this was always the plan.

Sweet, a 2018 Powell High School grad, left to pursue an education at the University of Wyoming, graduated early and went to Worland where she taught kindergarten and first grade students.

After three years of teaching away from home Sweet is back to teach classic kindergarten, a new class based on old teaching practices. The class, which will be replacing Park County School District 1’s pre kindergarten class, will serve as an intermediate step for students who have graduated preschool but need some extra time before they begin kindergarten. 

“It’s just how [kindergarten] used to be, so a lot of singing, playing, arts and crafts, a lot of that. And teaching regular kindergarten, I felt like there was so much stress on standards and grades and tests and this year our kids won’t have that,” Sweet said. “I mean, I personally will hold them to a high expectation of what I want them to be able to do by the end of the year, just because I know where they should be with my background.”

Sweet’s class will have its own curriculum that includes the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy program and Scholastic Reading. Right now, Sweet is preparing for a class of eight students and there will be a lot of interactive and shared reading.

“In my opinion, as much time that kids can get with books, the better they’re going to be in the long run,” Sweet said. “So just a lot of books, whether that’s me reading to them, or they’re listening to books, or just even looking through books on their own, and even making books, we’ll be doing that.”

Sweet has a background in reading recovery and said literacy statistics support the more children are involved with the books the better success they have in regards to high school graduation, attending college and getting a job.

When they start as a class on Aug. 22, Sweet isn’t sure what to expect but, “I’m just excited to get started with these kiddos and brighten their days and have them brighten my days and just have lots of fun.”

Sweet is back home and she’s excited to come back and be near family, but Powell also has the best school district in the state, she said. She also praised the staff she has already been able to work with ahead of the official school year.

“When I first started out of college and applied to different school districts, I just hoped that they would be as good as Powell’s,” Sweet said. “But Powell’s is just the top, in my opinion.”