TODAY’S COLUMN: The “New” School Year

Welcome to another great year for Prince William County Public Schools.

There will be plenty of excitement Monday as classes start for 88,000 students. And we are determined to make every moment count in giving them a solid foundation for lifelong learning and success.

Every year people ask, “What’s new?”  Plenty.

But it’s the combination of the new and the continuing that will drive student progress.
 
We have two beautiful and state-of-the art new schools. Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School and Kyle R. Wilson Elementary.
Each takes pressure off existing schools that are bursting at the seams from growing enrollment. They also help make room for the latest round of incremental class-size reductions. New investments this year will continue slow but steady progress toward undoing the overcrowding created by years of constrained budgets.

We also have the newly renamed George M. Hampton Middle School. Like Colgan and Wilson, its namesake will serve as an inspiration to generations of students from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Several schools are newly renovated, expanded, and equipped to better accommodate ever-increasing student needs.

Of course, we also have a new Divisionwide Aquatics Center, where students, teams, and families can immerse themselves in water-related competition, fitness, and, most important, water safety.

Whether learning to swim, or simply replacing fears with comfort built on survival skills, children who come to the Aquatics Center will leave far less likely to become victims of the drownings that claim too many young lives each year.

Gifts to our children include upwards of 800 new teachers and instructional staff. These eager newcomers bring fresh skills and enthusiasm, in many cases to serve pressing student needs, ranging from overcoming disabilities to the challenge of learning in a new language and culture. Our schools and staff make each of these children a priority and strive to turn differences into assets for them and for their classmates.

The smiling faces of teachers, administrators, and support staff will be familiar sights as school gets underway. Though not new, they reflect the ongoing dedication to children and to continuous improvement that makes our schools special places to learn and grow.

Strong support from elected officials, our business community, and especially our parents is already fueling our success.

Still, I urge everyone to recommit to being part of student success. If possible, make increased engagement with our students and classrooms a personal “something new” for this school year. Adult involvement is proven to make a world of difference.

For the students themselves, “what’s new” is another year of opportunities to grow and to blossom. They can advance their journeys toward success, while nurturing the confidence that they will achieve it.

Let’s work together in ways old and new to help them. Here’s to that renewed commitment in our ongoing quest toward Providing A World-Class Education.