The start of every new school year comes with unexpected surprises, joys and challenges. For Oxford Schools, this school year came with an abundance of all of the above.
“I thought our opening was outstanding this year,” said Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro. “Everyone said that this has been one of the best years.”
With plenty of new challenges – the redistricting of students from Lakeville Elementary to Leonard Elementary and the construction at the middle school – and plenty of surprises – the extended construction on Lakeville Road – administrators, staff and students found ways to pull together and enjoy a happy start of the year.
The redistricting of students from the Lakeville area to Leonard Elementary went smoothly for the first week. Leonard Principal Sue Hannant held “welcome back” activities that included helping the transferred student to get reacquainted with their new school.
A rough spot though was the unexpected delay in construction on Lakeville Road. Due to a collapsed culvert, construction from Lake George Road to Curtis Road has been extended, and Oxford bus drivers are having to face an extensive detour.
“We’re still working to make the bus runs as quick and short as possible,” said Brennan-Kyro. “The routes are new anyway and things are always a little bumpy for the first couple of weeks, but we are working on the runs.”
She added that the new walk areas are also working well.
“At Lakeville we have two crossing guards – one permanent and one substitute – and they are currently going through training,” said Brennan-Kyro.
For the first few days of school, several school administrators, including Brennan-Kyro, Assistant Superintendent Ron Franey and Transportation Director Char Pudgikowski, stationed themselves around the Lakeville walk area to assist students on where to walk and proper safety rules.
“We had several of us out there at different times,” Brennan-Kyro stated. “I saw a lot of parents walking their students also.”
The parents at Clear Lake Elementary have voiced some concerns about the walk area there, but school administrators said there are several steps yet to be taken. An example given by Brennan-Kyro was the creation of a safety patrol unit.
“We had to wait until the students were back in school before we could see who was interested and begin the program,” she explained. “They will help with some of the problems and congestion. We are listening to and addressing our parent concerns.”
“The parents have been very cooperative with this.”
And what about the current middle school – better known as “Construction Central?”
According to Assistant Superintendent Ron Franey, work crews made sure in the couple of weeks before school that all construction areas were well secured and safe entrances were prepared for opening week. However, he informed school board trustees at their last regular meeting that Mother Nature had different plans in mind.
The heavy rain storm that swept through the area on the morning of August 26 caused just a few start of school glitches. One of the cave-style entrances leading into the school leaked because of the flat roof and hard rains. About two inches of water built-up on the floor, and one child did slip and fall. However, work crews moved in immediately and solved the problem with a slanted roof.
The storms also damaged some of the new roofing. Several shingles were torn off in the strong winds and three classrooms received water damage. Brennan-Kyro said that one class was moved into another room for half the day, while a second class was moved for the entire day. Both teachers were back in their regular rooms by Wednesday.
“We are having daily meetings about this simply because of the amount of construction,” said Brennan-Kyro. “Our job is to provide a safe environment for our children.”
She added that facing all these challenges brought out the best in everyone across the district. The staff and administration showed enthusiasm, energy and cooperation when solving problems as they appeared.
“This is definitely the best opening that I’ve had since I’ve been here,” concluded Brennan-Kyro.