Ready or not, here it comes…
The first day of school is Wednesday, meaning Central Kitsap School District teachers, students and administrators are gearing up for the 2008-09 run.
Soon-to-be sophomores at Central Kitsap High School received their class schedules and took a tour of the school on Aug. 22, an opportunity for the approximately 500 first-time high schoolers to get acquainted with their new digs.
Steve Coons, the new CKHS principal, anticipates a successful year for the Cougar nation. Coons, who replaces John Cervinsky, appears a good fit, having already logged time at CKHS as a teacher and assistant principal.
“The focus is always on instruction — maximizing instruction and student learning,” said Coons, who will work closely with assistant principals Joe Vlach and Gail Danner. Vlach and Danner also are new to their positions.
Cougar staff, Coons said, will work to channel their energy through each other and do more of what works.
At Olympic High School, another group of Trojan seniors will embark on the rigorous culminating project — a graduation requirement — beginning with a senior class meeting Sept. 18.
The culminating project has upped the academic standard at OHS, receiving positive feedback from students and staff, and this year figures to be no different.
More information about the OHS culminating project, including deadlines, can be found online at http://olhs.cksd.wednet.edu/staff/culmproj/index.htm.
Klahowya Secondary School, the only school in the district to serve grades 7-12, hosted two “Flight Path” days, Aug. 20 and 21. Flight Path is a chance for students to take school photos, receive class schedules and pay fines from the previous school year.
KSS students and parents can check out bus schedules, student expectations, school forums and much more at the school’s Web site, http://klss.cksd.wednet.edu/StudPacket.htm.
Elementary schools, too, will be back in session and free all-day kindergarten is available at five of them — Woodlands, Cougar Valley, Esquire Hills, Clear Creek and Jackson Park. Tuition-based all-day kindergarten is offered at Silver Ridge, Brownsville, Emerald Heights, Green Mountain, PineCrest and Silverdale Elementary.
It will be a busy year for the CKSD Board of Directors as well. Among the board’s 2008-09 challenges: keeping the 2008-09 budget balanced and making a surplus decision on the Seabeck property.
