Canal Winchester Schools: District to focus on "what our why is" in new academic year
Canal Winchester Schools is welcoming 3,721 students when the 2022 academic year begins Aug. 22.
This is a slight decrease from 2021, when the school district had 3,734 students.
“It’s no higher than what we would expect,” said Kiya Hunt, who's beginning her first year as superintendent. “We’re right in the ballpark of where we would expect our numbers to be.”
She said enrollment projections predict an increase of about 100 students next year.
“We saw a decrease due to COVID, but we’re getting those numbers back to where they were prior to COVID. The growth is showing, ” Hunt said. “The one thing we’re just not quite aware of is the impact that Intel coming will have on us.”
Students in first through sixth grades and freshmen start Aug. 22. The remainder of the students begin Aug. 23 with the exception of kindergarteners, who start Aug. 29.
This school year will be the first in two years where students and staff no longer will be required to adhere to COVID-19 precautions, such as mandatory masking.
“It’s an exciting time,” Hunt said. “Really when you look at the last two years of preparing for COVID and the unexpected, it’s really an exciting time for us.
“We really understand it’s not gone. But (we’re) looking at how we can get back to life before COVID.”
Hunt said among the changes this year are the district will welcome volunteers back into school buildings, such as parents volunteering for special events.
“That is something we’ve not had for the last couple of years,” she said.
Field trips are also expected to make a return, such as elementary students’ annual trip to see The Nutcracker at the Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus.
“That is something we have not been able to do, and we’re excited to bring that back,” Hunt said.
Hunt said the theme of this school year is “what our why is.”
“We’re really looking at the focus on why we got into education in the first place, really reminding ourselves of that,” she said. “There’s a national staffing crisis in education. And although we’re not experiencing it to the extent others are … we want to remind our staff why we’re here, why they got into education in the first place and really celebrate and help them to focus on those things and not on what’s out of their control."
In addition, a new turf field and track has been installed at Mike Locke Stadium. The bleachers also have been made compliant with Americans With Disabilities Act regulations.
The new facilities opened in early August.
“The field looks and feels great. We have had a few opportunities to practice and workout on it, and our kids and our coaches love it,” football coach Jake Kuhner said. “It will be great to get back on the field when the track is done and also play at home with the new scoreboard that was installed as well.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Canal Winchester Schools: District to focus on "what our why is" in new academic year
