By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
The next wave of Purple and Gold is coming.
They began arriving Thursday in big numbers with smiles on their faces.
More than 125 children registered for both Kindergarten and PreK at Union City Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year yesterday, with those numbers expected to rise even higher before the new school year begins.
A steady stream of parents and prospective students began arriving before 9 a.m. and filtered through the process until 6 p.m.
Top-level administrators – including UCES principal Allison Palmer, Vice Principals Bill Kail and Maggie Miller, and Director of PreK and Special Populations Laney Rogers – and several elementary school teachers were on hand to welcome interested parties and assist with the sign-up necessities.
Parents began the annual process of enrolling their children for the next school year by completing the necessary registration paperwork. There was also some initial informal testing in one-on-one settings between teachers and members of the Classes of 2038.
Pre-K screenings will be held in July once those students are officially accepted.
There were plenty of photo opportunities at Thursday’s sign-ups, and spirit wear was available for purchase. Snacks were provided, too. Information on after-school programs and details about the many in-school opportunities for students were shared.
“It’s one of my favorite days of the year,” Palmer said while greeting visitors and directing them to the appropriate places. “To see the smiles on those little faces and their inquisitive nature and know that their education process begins now reminds those of us in the education business of why we chose this profession.
“Any concerns the children or their parents had were quickly relieved by our faculty and staff. Our people always do a wonderful job of putting people at ease and gaining their confidence that we are going to take care of their children.
“I’m confident that our community believes that. They see it in all we do. Word of mouth is a great advertisement, and I believe that we at Union City Schools provide a wonderful educational experience for anyone and everyone.”
Students will still be allowed to register for both Pre-K and Kindergarten until the 2025-26 school year begins in August.
For more information, call (731-885-1632) or visit UCES during regular school hours.