Barrow County School System Offers Reflections on the First Day of Classes

Summer vacation has come to an end for the more than 12,000 students who went back to classes — or started school for the first time — in Barrow County on Monday, Aug. 8. 

Some of those students are the first to attend the county's new high school, the College and Career Preparatory Academy. Others are attending new schools following the .

The school system released the following information on the first day of school.

Reflections on “Our First Day of School for 2011-2012”

Barrow County Schools had 12,399 students that came for the first day of school on August 8, 2011. We do anticipate an increase in the number of students that will enroll. Last year, we saw an increase of approximately 500 students that entered our school system throughout the year.

We would like to commend Molly Stiltner, principal and the faculty and staff of our new College and Career Preparatory Academy (CCPA) and the Performance Learning Center (PLC) for their efforts to have a new facility organized and ready to begin the school year when students arrived on Monday. Additionally, our Maintenance, Technology, and Business Services staff worked diligently to have the environment ready for learning when the doors opened. Our school system operates as a tremendous team and I also appreciate the efforts of administrators at Apalachee, Winder-Barrow High School, and the Central Office for their assistance in ensuring that the CCPA and the PLC students had their needs met.

We are so proud of our Transportation Department which has been planning for the first day of school for some time by repairing buses and completing maintenance and inspection requirements to ensure that our students have a safe ride to and from school. Additionally, the Transportation Department Staff has been working to create safe and efficient bus routes. Each year it takes about one week to get the routes solidified. It takes practice at the school to have children learn how to exit the building and load the buses in a timely manner. It does take us longer to pick up students in the morning and to deliver them in the afternoon the first week; however, our number one priority is the safety of our children. Once that objective is met we will then work to reduce the amount of time that it takes us to run the morning and afternoon routes that serve approximately 10,000 students. We appreciate everyone's patience as we all learn a new routine.

Superintendent, Dr. Wanda Creel stated, “I have already had the opportunity to visit a number of classrooms. I have witnessed teachers and students that are busy with the business of learning, creating a culture of respect for others, and eager to embrace the opportunities ahead during the 2011-2012 school year.”