CLEVELAND — Thousands of Cleveland students and families gathered at Public Auditorium Saturday for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's third annual back-to-school festival on Saturday.
Families picked up free school supplies and got haircuts. They also entered to win guitars donated by Machine Gun Kelly.
The festival gave parents and students a chance to meet their new teachers ahead of what is a historic school year for the district.
This is the first year under CMSD's new consolidation plan, which closed 18 buildings and merged dozens of schools.
Parent Jermaine Davis said the event offered something meaningful beyond just supplies.
"I feel like it's very important for them to see different things like this because it'll show them different ways to work together in a community setting, and then also to just learn to just develop different bonds and different relationships," Davis said.
District educators said the festival was designed to ease nerves heading into the new year.
"This is a big year for Cleveland schools. We've merged schools, we've got kids and teachers in new places, and we want to make sure that everybody this year has opportunities for college and a career. We are really excited to make sure that everyone knows the schools are welcoming, they're ready and we want to make sure our students are ready with everything they have," chief of education Michele Pomerantz said.
Back-to-school preparation continues Monday, when the district kicks off a three-day Summer Bridge Program to help incoming freshmen adjust to high school.
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