Ben Hill's first day is right as rain

Jackie Scaglione made it to Ben Hill Middle School at 7:15 a.m. on the first day of classes.

The new principal buzzed around, welcoming early arrivals and answering questions from parents. It was busy, but routine.

About an hour later it started pouring. The morning quickly became anything but normal.

Scaglione rushed to get the students off the patio and into the gymnasium, where they could wait for homeroom without getting wet. A sheriff's deputy directed cars from Ehrlich Road into the drop-off circle because visibility was near zero behind the sheets of rain. The power went out, leaving students in the dark briefly before the back-up lights flickered on.

Throughout it, Scaglione greeted children disembarking buses with a smile or high-five. Buses and parents rolled up long after the homeroom bell rang, but no one was considered tardy this day, she told arrivals.

She shook her head and smiled at the chaos.

"This is definitely way out of normal, and all I can do is laugh," Scaglione said. "They're here, and I'm happy they're here."

Scaglione got a taste of her new job during the final month of the 2009-10 school year, when she stepped in for the retiring Barry Davis.

Scaglione, 45, had spent her career in elementary schools. Her teaching career started in 1991 at Maniscalco Elementary, and she moved into administration in 1998 as an assistant principal at Bay Crest Elementary and later Lockhart Elementary.

She became principal of Riverhills Elementary in Temple Terrace in 2003.

But she wanted to move to middle school. She likes the age group, she said. The students are easy to communicate with - you can talk to them like adults, but they still feel like children at times.

As a teacher, she mostly taught fifth grade and loved the interaction with the older elementary students. Arriving at middle school brought back everything she remembered enjoying as a fifth-grade teacher.

"I felt like I was at home," Scaglione said. "I left like I was in heaven."

The only thing that surprised her? How often the bell rang.

Scaglione came to Hill with energy and enthusiasm but does not plan drastic changes at the Carrollwood school, which has received A's from the state for the past decade.

Though the school grade is good, Scaglione wants to make sure teachers understand individual students' needs. She wants teachers to examine testing data on the 940 students frequently to spot improvements or areas that need extra help.

She also will keep students informed about their progress, with one-on-one conferences between students and teachers to help the kids set short- and long-term goals.

But it won't be all about work. Scaglione and PTSA President Jannie DelRio both said they want to inject fun into the school day.

The Parent-Teacher-Student Association had listened to students and teachers about what they liked and disliked, DelRio said, and decided to make some changes.

"We want to make it so the students feel school is not only for school but also a fun place to be," DelRio said.

There will be a back-to-school social for the students, a walk-a-thon fundraiser, a community carnival and a revival of the talent shows Hill used to do.

Hill had a good principal in Davis, DelRio said, and had fallen into a comfortable pattern. Parents weren't sure what a new principal with an elementary school background would be like.

Scaglione won them over almost immediately with the way she connected with students, encouraging their individuality within the school rules.

She also spoke out for student safety this summer when the county proposed building a skate park across the street from Hill. Scaglione said she was worried the park would distract students and prompt them to bring their skateboards to school. That could turn dangerous, she said, if the students tried to dash across the busy four-lane road to the park on foot.

That won DelRio's respect. She felt like Scaglione was invested in students' safety and liked that she fought for what would be best for the school community.

Scaglione is thankful for the active PTSA as well. Riverhills struggled with parent involvement.

"To me, that's what makes this school such a positive place for students to be," she said.

And although torrential rain wasn't how she planned to kick off the school year, Scaglione said the students handled it well. DelRio suggested it might be a good omen.

"This is good luck," DelRio said. "This is like rain on your wedding day."