MOUNDSVILLE — The Marshall County Back 2 School Fun Fair celebrated 25 years of preparing parents and students for the coming school year Wednesday.

A line of parents and students eager to pick up school supplies snaked around the West Virginia Penitentiary, with the fair serving more than 1,200 students in the county.

Attendees navigated through tables filled with free school supplies for them to pick up. In addition to backpacks, notebooks and pencils, toiletries and nonperishable food items were also available for students.

After filling up their backpack with supplies, parents and students could visit over 50 local agencies with resources and information at the fair. Agencies represented at the fair included Youth Services System, Northwood Health Systems and Harmony House.

In collaboration with the Marshall County Health Department, the FRN & Family Support Center performed dental checks and handed out toothbrushes, toothpaste and community resources. Free coupons for haircuts were also available to students to pick up.

MCS Parent Educator Susie Baker, who organizes the fair, noted that while the school supplies were what got parents and students in the door, the “true purpose” of the fair was to connect families with the resources they may need.

“Everybody gots a hand up, not a handout, so that all students can start on the same page for the school year,” Baker said.

Another way students were able to get on the same page as their classmates at the fair was the addition of a registration table for students who were not yet enrolled in the school system. Another new component of the fair was a “Meet the Bus Driver” area, where students could receive their bus number and meet their bus driver.

“The ‘Meet the Bus Driver’ is a great idea because on the first day of school, the first 10 to 20 phone calls the secretaries get are parents asking, ‘What bus is my child riding? What corner do they get picked up on?”’ Baker said.

MCS Superintendent Shelby Haines said being able to “catch” students who still needed to be enrolled and giving students the opportunity to meet their bus drivers helped make the first day of school less stressful for families. She added that another benefit of the fair was that students were able to meet past teachers and be introduced to new ones.

“We have some families that are new to the county, so we want to make that transition into school here easy for everybody,” Haines said. “We have three board members and most of the county office here, along with a lot of principals because we just want to welcome everybody to Marshall County.”

McNinch Primary School Mental Health Coordinator Tara Ann Thompson said attending the fair for the past four years has helped her become a friendly face for students before they meet her in the school hallways.

“My first year attending the fair definitely helped me become a familiar face for the kids, even though I hadn’t even started at my position,” Thompson said. “It’s a great way for the kids to meet me, so when they see me in school, they know that I’m not some random person and that I’m here to help.”

Thompson was passing out pencil cases with other YSS employees who serve as Mental Health Coordinators at schools in Marshall, Ohio, Brooke and Hancock counties. She noted the fair allowed them to inform parents about their role within the schools and provide families with information and resources about social and emotional learning for students.

“As mental health coordinators, we help with social and emotional learning in the schools and support the kids however we can,” Thompson said. “Since we have mental health coordinators at two schools in the county, we’re here to see our kids and provide them with some supplies while we’re at it.”

Central Elementary School student Ethan Rosier, who attended the fair with his mother, Alexander, and brother Travis, was excited to meet his principal at the fair. Ethan and Travis were also eager to show off their new backpacks that were decorated with video game controllers and sharks, respectively.

Alexander Rosier said her sons loved to come to the fair every year, adding that their favorite part was picking out their book bags and other supplies.

“The back-to-school fair is a good thing for the kids,” Rosier said. “They get pretty excited to show off their backpacks. It also helps me worry less about having to get their supplies as a parent.”

Haines said that allowing the students to pick what kind of backpack and color notebook they wanted allowed students to have the same experience as other families who go back-to-school shopping.

“One of Susie’s big things is that she doesn’t want anybody to stand out,” Haines said. “We’ve had people willing to donate backpacks, but they have their emblem on the side, and Susie says, ‘Absolutely not, I don’t want anybody to know that this was a free backpack.’ Just because it’s free doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t get the same experience as other kids who get to shop at Walmart and pick out whatever color notebook they want.”

Haines thanked Baker, MCS employees and the other volunteers who helped make the fair possible. She added that, due to their efforts and community support, the event has gotten bigger and bigger every year.

“Susie was afraid during the first fun fair that no one would show up,” Haines recalled. “Now we have almost three-fourths of county enrollment attending. People started lining up at 6 p.m. last night, which is just chilling.

“We’re very blessed to have Susie in our county because this is her dream, and we’re happy to help make it happen,” Haines continued.