While the first day of school is a only the beginning for many kids, the first day at Alki Elementary School has become a ritual for the Hardgrove family, still West Seattle residents.

First there was Mary Jane (Chase), now 91, a resident at the Kenney. She started kindergarten at Alki School, then brought her son David, 58, to his first day of school there. His daughter, Desiree, 24, followed, and Wednesday, Sept. 8, her 6 year-old son Caleb darted toward Alki School’s front door in the rain as the bell rang. Caleb will begin first grade here. He went to kindergarten in Bellevue.

“We all went to Madison and West Seattle High School,” said Desiree, a temp worker with contracts for Microsoft, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “My younger brothers, Davis and Daniel went to Alki, Madison and West Seattle (High School) too.

“It was really overcast my first day here but it wasn’t raining,” recalled Desiree. “I was very nervous but had met my teacher in advance. I really liked the old playground here. There was a little castle and big wooden bridge. My brothers weren’t in school yet, so I was excited to have people to play with. That’s how I feel about Caleb since he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. I am excited for him.

“My favorite teacher is still here, Mr. Hannah,” said Desiree. “I had him in fifth grade. He was awesome. He didn’t just have boring work sheets. We weren’t just sitting at our desks listening to him talk. He gave us a lot of cool hands-on projects in class. I thought he was really fun.”

Her father had a vivid memory when he was also in fifth grade.

“My fifth grade teacher Mr. Pruitt took a liking to me,” David recalled. “I was hanging out with a friend who would always get into trouble. Mr. Pruitt was very diplomatic, and said, ‘Dave, you’re a good boy, doing well in school. But I think you need to stay away from Paul Stewart.’ I remember playing right here at the corner of the field on crutches and one of the sixth graders decided that since I was on crutches he was going to beat me up. He started pushing me around and Paul came running across the field and just tackled this guy and knocked him down and beat him up and that was the first day I met Paul. We remain best friends. He works at Seattle City Light like I do. I’m a line equipment operator. I dig holes and set poles.”

Caleb was proud of his new, colorful Legos gym shoes. Primary color squares decorate their canvas sides, and their black tread is punctuated with red in the shape of Legos pieces.

“I got cool, decorated binders,” Caleb said of his new school supplies. His mom drove him to school and he likes her car.

“The Mini Cooper goes fast!” he remarked with enthusiasm.

Mary Jane was a third grade teacher at nearby Schmitz Park School. Her brother, Jack, also attended Alki School.

“My first day of school here was a long time ago,” she said. “We lived at 5628 SW Admiral Way. My husband worked for the city, Seattle Transit. I live in the Kenney. That’s a good place.”

David complained with a smile that to reach his mom at the Kenney he has to phone her before 7:00 a.m., or after 9:00 p.m. as she is a social butterfly, out and about.

Mary Jane has four great-grand children, including, of course, Caleb.

“You bet I’m proud of Caleb,” she grinned. “One of the best. Sure he is.”

At first Caleb expressed reluctance to enter the school building on his first day, but because of the rain, and maybe wanting to meet his new friends, he began urging his mother to take him inside, and with a brief ring of the school bell, he was on his way.