Some people don’t like to see summer end. But Superintendent of Schools Neal Miller isn’t one of them. “This is a great time of year when everyone comes back excited,” he said. “It reminds me every August of why I’m here…. When I was a principal, opening a school was really special for me.”
The high school athletes have been back since Aug. 15. The other students will arrive on Sept. 6. And there’s likely to be a few more of them than there was a year ago. As of late August, the district had 17 more enrollments than it did in the summer of 2015.
The more observant kids may notice some changes on the first day. The Willow Avenue gym, for example, has grown brighter thanks to the installation of new windows.
The rear entrance of the middle school has been remodeled. The elementary school playgrounds will have sun shelters that were donated by the Melissa Bambino Melanoma Foundation. And the high school cafeteria is sporting a new and shinier floor.
That’s not the only change planned for the high school. The Wall of Fame plaques will be mounted in the corridor near the auditorium. Mr. Miller is hoping the plaques will be ready for the first day.
Mary Lou Carolan, the Cornwall Public Library director, will be looking at the Wall of Fame and then making plans for an exhibit in her own building. “I’d like to find an innovative way of adding to the display,” she said, “possibly something digital or interactive.”
A change from the recent past is that district students may be visiting the Sands Ring Homestead. Mr. Miller has asked for a curriculum for the visit, and has heard that the Friends of Sands Ring are working on it.
At the most recent Board of Education meeting, Mr. Miller reported on the Grade 3-8 assessments. In many subcategories, Cornwall students finished near the top of the state. The district is still waiting for information from the state on last year’s Regents exams.
The district has ordered microphones, but they may not be available for the Sept. 12 school board meeting. On that evening, the board is expected to reach a decision on videotaping its meetings.
