A New School Year

There is something special about the first week of school. The hallways are once again filled with students, classrooms are coming to life, and our schools have that familiar energy that reminds us why we do what we do.

We are excited to welcome our students back for the 2026–27 school year and to begin another year of learning, growth, and making great memories.

This year brings some exciting changes for our district. Most notably, we have moved to a four-day school week. While this is a significant change, our focus remains the same: providing our students with a high-quality education and making sure every day our students are in school matters. We are committed to using our time together well and continuing to provide meaningful opportunities for students to achieve their potential. We will surround them with the support & guidance that they need to pursue their dreams.

We also begin the year with a new strategic plan that will help guide our work over the next several years. Our plan centers around four important areas: Student Learning and Academic Achievement; Developing Well-Rounded Graduates; Innovative Teaching and Active Learning; and Staff Recruitment and Retention. We heard our community loud and clear during the development of the Strategic plan. They told us they want graduates who are well prepared for life beyond high school, equipped to navigate the real world, and ready to be responsible, contributing members of their community. We have woven those competencies into our building and classroom learning goals so that they are an intentional part of our students’ educational experience.

We begin this school year with 238 students in grades PK–12, including 99 students at L.I.E. and 139 students at Riverside Middle/High School. We are also excited to welcome three new teachers to our district—a new preschool teacher at L.I.E. and two new teachers at Riverside, one in special education and one in career and technical education. We are fortunate to have these educators join our staff, and I know our students and families will benefit from the experience and energy they bring to our schools.

I also want to recognize our entire staff. A tremendous amount of work happens behind the scenes before that first school bell rings. Our teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, custodians, maintenance staff, food service employees, transportation staff, office staff, and everyone else who contributes to our schools have worked hard to make sure we were ready for our students. We are fortunate to have people who care deeply about doing their jobs well and about the students they serve.

We are also fortunate to have facilities that provide our students with opportunities to learn, compete, participate, and build relationships. As we begin our fall activities, I am especially looking forward to seeing our community come together at these events. Our new football field, concession stand, and grandstands provide a great setting for our students to compete and for our community to gather and support them. I hope to see many of you at the gym for volleyball and the field for football games this fall.

Many of our students also participate with neighboring schools in cross country and swimming. Beyond athletics, we have a tremendous number of co-curricular opportunities available to our students, including music, FFA, BPA and many others. Our kids stay incredibly busy, but more importantly, these activities give them opportunities to discover their interests, develop new skills, build relationships and become connected to their school and community.

And while all of these opportunities are important, our primary focus remains on the kids and their learning.

Our job is to inspire, challenge, and educate our students so they can become successful, well-rounded citizens. That requires high expectations, strong relationships, good teaching, and a willingness to continually look for better ways to serve our students.

We are excited about the year ahead. It is great to have our kids back in the buildings, to see our classrooms come alive again, and to get back to the important work of teaching and learning. Most of all, we are fortunate to have a staff and community that care deeply about our students and their success.

Finally, I want to thank our community for the continued support you provide to our schools. Whether it is attending a game, supporting a student activity, encouraging a teacher, or simply taking an interest in what is happening in our schools, that support matters.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we have a great group of people doing that work, and we have wonderful students who make it all worthwhile.

Welcome back to another school year. We are ready to get to work!