Shamarye Bonner studied his class schedule Thursday, barely noticing his island home growing smaller outside the ferry window.

The 11-year-old from Anderson Island, no doubt energized by the first day of the school year and a sugary doughnut, tried to glean information and chat with other students as the vessel approached Steilacoom.

“Who do you have for P.E.?”

“Where are your lockers?”

“My calculator has a pi symbol.”

Steilacoom Historical School District welcomed back its approximately 5,500 students for another year Thursday, including 42 middle- and high-schoolers from Anderson Island, who must ride a ferry for a half hour just to get to class.

For Shamarye and three other sixth-graders who attended the island’s two-room elementary school last year, the day marked the beginning of what will become a daily routine of riding buses and ferries until they graduate high school.

The two-hour trip each way – between buses and ferry – can be enough to make even the most seasoned commuter cringe. For island students, it’s a way of life.

It requires they be ready to go by 6 a.m. if they are taking the bus, although most students got a ride to the ferry from family or friends Thursday.

Some students woke up at 4 a.m. Shamarye woke up around 1 a.m. Excitement over the first day had a lot to do with it.

He wasn’t the only student more interested in their destination than a routine ferry ride. Rosanna Martinez shook her head when asked if the commute will make things difficult.

When asked about her locker, something she didn’t get last year, she reacted with a bit more enthusiasm: “Ooh yes. I want to decorate mine,” she said.

“I’m nervous and excited,” she added.

Lockers aren’t the only changes the sixth-graders will experience, as there will be more students, more classes and more space at Pioneer Middle School.

Their news digs, which opened last year in the Northwest Landing area of DuPont, is 106,000 square feet in size. It replaced the 93-year-old middle school building in Steilacoom.

There were about 700 students Thursday at Pioneer Middle School, compared to about 40 at Anderson Island Elementary. Pioneer has about 35 teachers. Anderson Island has two.

“I know the kids are always amazed at how big it is,” said Nancy McClure, president of the island’s elementary school.

Most of its outgoing students were honored for their advancement to middle school in June. The students got the chance to visit Pioneer late last month, which also eased the transition, she said.

Thursday marked the first time Simone Martinez, Rosanna’s mom, watched her daughter leave for school off-island. She has three older children who do the same, so her house is now an empty nest.

Simone Martinez admitted to being just as anxious as her daughter. To be safe, she gave her daughter a cell phone that she could use to call her mom in case of an emergency.

Amanda Glass, 11, also attended her first day at Pioneer, although she attended a mainland elementary school part of last year.

Her mother, Dana Glass, said her daughter welcomes the travel.

“She refers to the island as ‘The Rock.’” said Glass, a para-educator, of her daughter. “She’s ready to get off the rock.”

But Anderson Island’s youth showed their natural independence Thursday. The group traveled to the mainland in two droves. One ferry left the island at 6:30 a.m.; the other an hour later.

The second group featured the 11-year-old newcomers: Shamarye, Rosanna, Ason Richardson and Ea Kirkland-Woodward. The group climbed the ferry’s steps to meet with their friends.

With about 20 other kids talking and laughing in the ferry’s main cabin, the quartet could barely contain their excitement.

“The band teacher is awesome,” Ea said to Rosanna.

“I’m excited,” Ason announced, checking his schedule and binder.

By 7:50 a.m., ferry docked at Steilacoom. The group of students made their way off the ferry, through a parking lot and eventually huddled under a covered bus stop off Commercial Street.

A bus drove up a few minutes later to continue the journey to DuPont.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653

brent.champaco@thenewstribune.com