The New Kid at Kestrel Street
A story about the first day somewhere new, the knot in the stomach, and the people who make room.
Ollie's family moved to a new town in the middle of Term Two, and on Monday morning he stood at the gate of Kestrel Street School with a knot in his stomach. Everybody else already knew where to go. He knew nobody.
His new teacher, Ms Adeyemi, welcomed him at the door. She had a warm voice and a bright scarf. “You can sit next to Dev,” she said. “He will show you where things are.” Dev gave a small nod and went back to his drawing.
The morning crawled. Ollie did not know the rules of the games at recess, and he did not know which tap was broken. At lunch, he sat alone on a bench and unwrapped a sandwich he did not want.
He watched a group of kids playing handball. He wanted to ask, but his mouth would not work. Every time he took a step, the knot in his stomach pulled tighter, and he sat back down.
That night, Ollie told his dad he did not want to go back. His dad was quiet for a while. “When I started a new job last year,” he said, “I felt exactly the same. Do you know what helped? Not a big speech, just one small hello.”
On Tuesday, Ollie walked in and said hello to Dev. It was only one word. Dev looked up, surprised, and then smiled. “Hello. Do you like drawing?” Ollie said he did, a little, and Dev passed him a spare pencil.
At recess, Dev took him to the handball court. “This is Ollie,” he said to the others. “He is new.” A girl called Zoe tossed him the ball. “We need one more,” she said, “and you are tall.”
Ollie missed the first hit and nearly lost the second. But nobody laughed. Zoe showed him the trick, and by the end of recess, he had scored a point. His stomach knot had shrunk to the size of a pea.
By Friday, Ollie knew which tap was broken. He knew that the canteen ran out of pies by half past twelve. And he knew four names, and four people who knew his.
The next week, a boy joined the class in the middle of the lesson. He stood at the door looking small and lost. Ollie remembered the knot in his own stomach, stood up, and said, “Hello. You can sit here.”
✨ Key Takeaways
- The first day somewhere new feels hard for almost everyone. Feeling nervous does not mean something is wrong.
- Bravery is often a very small thing, like saying hello or asking a question.
- Once you have felt like the new person, you can help the next one feel welcome.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- What made Ollie's first day so hard?
- What small thing changed things for him on the second day?
- How could you make someone new feel welcome in your class or club?
Print lined paper to write about a time you were new →