At Redwood Elementary School, the excitement of going back to school can often be overwhelmed by the anxiety of making ends meet. Eighty percent of the students there live at or below the poverty level.
To try to ensure all students who walk into school for their first day of class Monday have what they need, members of the West Valley community came together Saturday to offer a free, one-stop back-to-school shop that offered everything from haircuts to new shoes and backpacks.
“It’s really important to help our kids [have] the best possible start to the school year that they can,” said Jolynn Koehler, the school’s principal.