The end – of summer vacation — is near for local students.
The Jackson County School System cranks up its 2011-12 school year on Thursday and the Commerce School System will follow on Monday.
Jefferson students got an early start this past Monday.
Commerce expects approximately 1,500 students, while Jackson County anticipates about 7,200 — about the same number of children enrolled when school let out in May.
“We don’t anticipate any great growth, obviously, because practically nobody is moving into the community,” said Shannon Adams, superintendent of the Jackson County School System. “We might grow a little bit, but we don’t anticipate it being much.”
That’s pretty much the situation in Commerce, although superintendent James E. “Mac” McCoy notes that 60 students new to the school system have registered.
“Once school starts we’ll start receiving requests for paperwork for students transferring to another school system,” McCoy explained. “We’re at a little over 1,500 on paper.”
Meanwhile, construction of the new tennis courts is under way. The grading has been completed and McCoy hopes the job will be done by the first home football game.
Speaking of football, the gridiron Tigers got the school year off to a start with a “midnight madness” football practice Monday morning.
“There was a lot of excitement about that,” McCoy said. “There is a lot of excitement at the start of the school year.”
All four city schools will hold open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Primary School
Perhaps the biggest change in the Commerce School System is at Commerce Primary School where Commerce native and CHS graduate Lisa Maddox is the new principal following the retirement of long-time principal Kim Savage.
“I’m very excited to be back in this building,” Maddox related, pointing out that she spent 15 years teaching in the building before moving to Commerce Middle School 10 years ago to serve as a counselor. She later was promoted to assistant principal.
She expects about 460 students when the dust clears on Monday.
Besides a new principal, students will see a new school nurse (Tabitha Evans), three new kindergarten teachers (Asia Usher, Beverly Mansfield and Corie Padgett), a new Pre-K teacher, Breanna Bray (replacing Padgett), new second grade teacher Stacy Elrod, a new bookkeeper, Debbie Crawford, and a new physical education teacher, Tonya Ladd. Crawford and Ladd previously served at CMS.
“Mrs. Savage had a good thing going, so we’re going to try to continue what she’s done,” Maddox said. “I am tickled to death with the staff.
“It’s a neat thing — there will be teachers here that taught me, teachers here that I taught and some young teachers I knew from the time they were born. It’s going to be interesting.”
Elementary School
“We’re looking at probably 225,” said Commerce Elementary School principal David Cash when asked to project 2011 enrollment. “We ended up last year with 215.”
New at CES are Tabitha Evans, school nurse; Gail Litterio, assistant principal shared with CPS; and Tonya Ladd, a physical education teacher shared with the primary school.
“We will continue to concentrate on math and reading as we continue to strive to having a 100-percent passing rate by 2014,” said Cash, referring to the ever-tightening demands of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Middle School
“There will be more new faces to start this year than any since my first year here,” said middle school principal Chuck Bell. “There are just a lot of key positions that are going to have new people.”
The new assistant principal (replacing Maddox) is Audrey Andrews, who transferred from CES. Betty Lane Owensby is the new bookkeeper.
New teachers include Laura Anderson (moved from CPS), sixth grade science; Greg Maxwell, math and special education; Steven Parker, band director shared with CHS; Will Peters, physical education; Kelly Shumaker, science, language arts, gifted, who returns to the system; Ryan Friend, an eighth grade math teacher; and a fifth grade social studies teacher who will be hired by the school board next Monday night.
Tiffany Davis is the new media specialist, replacing Barbara Moore, who retired.
The school also decided to combine reading and language arts for its eighth graders, which means they will have 70-minute classes instead of 55.
“What we now have, in effect, is two different schedules within the school,” Bell said.
Additionally, the completed track on the CMS campus is expected to expand both physical education and athletic options. The school has also changed the process for parents who drop off and pick up students.
“I’m excited,” Bell said of the 2011-12 school year. “We’ve gotten better and better at what we do and are looking to continue that trend. Things are going well and I can only hope they continue to do so.”
High School
In its first full year in its new building, Commerce High School will have five new staff members, including Tonya Hill, counselor; Kerri Lord, social studies; Rob Brown and Allison Wright, math; and Steven Parker, a band/chorus teacher shared with CHS.
The school looks forward to hosting its first competitive cheerleading event in its new gym and getting to use the new track on the CMS campus, as well as the four new tennis courts under construction on the northeast side of the building.
