Ready or not, school’s back in session

Published 5:37 pm Sunday, August 26, 2018

Buses will roll Monday morning as thousands of students across the area head back to school.

In Dare County, the school system will welcome more than 5,000 students, many of them getting to class via 40 regular bus routes. There are 16 buses doing double runs to transport students to and from the counties 10 elementary, middle and high schools.

Younger riders, kindergarten through third grade, must have an adult present when being dropped off by a school bus. If parents wish to have their child get off the bus with an older sibling, the school must have a note signed by the parent. If no adult is present, the driver will notify the school that the child will be returning to the school.

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When they get to school, students will find some new faces among the administration, and some familiar ones with different titles.

In the schools’ central office, Arty Tillett and Sandy Kinzel are now assistant superintendents. Tillett’s previous job title was chief academic officer. Kinzel’s was executive director of elementary education.

Effective July 1, David Guiley retired from the principalship at First Flight Middle School and Diane Childress has been appointed principal.

Two people have been named assistant principals at First Flight Middle: Chuck Lansing and Curtis Price.

Tenia Maurer has been appointed assistant principal at Manteo Middle School and Shannon Castillo will be assistant principal at Manteo Elementary School.

In Currituck, more than 4,000 students will return to the county’s public schools Monday morning. The county employs 252 teachers, for a student-teacher ratio of about 16 to one.

For this school year, Currituck County High School welcomes Dr. Brian Matney as the new principal, and Michelle Cowan has been named principal of Currituck County Middle School. Cowan is entering her 17th year as an educator.

The area’s private schools, and its only charter school, also start Monday morning.

At Water’s Edge Village School in Corolla, 38 kindergarten through eighth-grade students will be in attendance. The accredited charter school is in its sixth year and employs four highly-qualified teachers.

Wanchese Christian Academy  is beginning its 40thyear of educating local children. The school’s educational strategies are based on sound scholarship, common sense and the word of God.

The Heron Pond Montessori School also begins its lessons, offering education through the middle school years.

In Hyde County,619 public school students are returning to class – and the school system is need of a few good substitute teachers. Hyde schools is offering the needed certification online through the services of the Western Region Education Service Alliance. The cost is $45 and it is self-paced. Those interested should check out https://wresa.org/ and click on the tab Online: Substitute 101 to access more information and to register.