COAL GROVE – Students and faculty in the Dawson-Bryant School District are gearing up for another year of new learning opportunities and some new and familiar faces.

Monday, August 14, 2000

COAL GROVE – Students and faculty in the Dawson-Bryant School District are gearing up for another year of new learning opportunities and some new and familiar faces.

Summer vacation will soon end, with the first day of school scheduled for Aug. 21. When they get back to class, students are sure to see several changes throughout the district.

"We are very excited about this coming school year," said Bill Stapleton, Dawson-Bryant federal programs and curriculum coordinator. "We have so many exciting programs and changes throughout the district. We are very excited to have Eric Holmes as principal of Dawson-Bryant Elementary and Susan Heyard as assistant principal."

While Holmes certainly is not a new face to students and faculty, Ms. Heyard is returning to the school system after spending the past several years in the Ironton City School District, he said.

"Mr. Holmes has been working in the district for a while now," Stapleton said. "We’re glad to see Susan Heyard coming back to us. Both of these individuals are working very hard to get things ready for students. They have been holding numerous meetings with the teachers in preparation for school."

High school students won’t notice changes in administration, but they will certainly see a new face in the faculty, he added.

"We will have a new math teacher at the high school this year," he said. "Lezlie Barton is coming to us from Portsmouth City Schools and will be teaching the Carnegie Learning Center program this year."

The new computerized math program will concentrate on teaching algebra to students this year, he added.

"The Carnegie Learning Center program has been extremely successful across the nation," he said.

Stapleton advised parents to become partners with the district to encourage the best possible performance from their children at school.

Parents should establish good bedtimes, especially for younger students, pay attention to students’ nutrition and help them with homework, among other activities.

And the district is offering some new ways for students and the community to get in some learning after hours, Stapleton added.

"At the elementary and middle school, we are starting a program known as the 21st Century Community Learning Center. This program makes these two buildings and library facilities available to the public after hours."

Parents should encourage students to take advantage of the facilities and are encouraged to participate in the "after-hours" activities, he added.

Those activities could include everything from a field trip to special programs designed especially to mix fun and learning.

For those students – and parents – who are just starting school, the district will continue to accept kindergarten registrations at Dawson-Bryant Elementary School until just before the first day of classes for the littlest Hornets – Aug. 24.