AREA SCHOOLS OPEN WITHOUT PROBLEMS

Area administrators expressed pleasure with the way the first days of the 1999-2000 school year run last week.

"It was really a very smooth opening," said Rick McClard, Jackson High School principal. "We had very few problems. Most of the students seemed to know where to go."

McClard noted that 45 new students in grades 10-12 moved into the district.

"That's more than we can remember ever having," he said. "We've had to make sure there was enough room in each class. There's still some schedule changes being made; there always are in high school."

"So far everything has gone very well," said Cheri Fuemmeler, Oak Ridge R-6 superintendent. "We've gotten off to a smooth start this year."

Oak Ridge High School enrollment is about the same as it was at the end of last school year, while the elementary enrollment is by about 20 students. Fuemmeler said the district's transportation went smoothly the first week.

"Our routes are pretty much the same," she said. "We changed a few of them around to accommodate for areas where more families are moving into. Everything has gone quite well."

Moderate temperatures the first three days of classes helped -- although with more and more schools being 100 percent air-conditioned, the specter of fall heat schedules is becoming less prevalent.

"We're all air conditioned," Fuemmeler said. "Heat does concern us when our children are out at lunch and recess, or in PE class; we try to accommodate those as much as possible. We don't have to contend with early dismissal, so we can make full use of the instructional day."

"So far, so good. The first two days went well," said Al Lipke, principal at St. Paul Lutheran School. St. Paul's enrollment is up 17 students, to 245 students in grades 1-8. "Fortunately our classrooms are air-conditioned, which helps."

"Things went very well," said Tracy Dumey, principal at Immaculate Conception School. "Everything has been running real smooth. The kids are very well-behaved and the parents are very helpful. We're real pleased."

Immaculate Conception's enrollment this fall is 258 for grades K-8 -- up about 10 students from the close of the past school year.

Immaculate Conception has added three new faculty members, fourth grade teacher, Karen England; sixth grade teacher Gina Herzog; and seventh grade teacher Kathy Maazzanti.

The mood of the students has been good, according to the administrators.

"It's been sort of calm," McClard said. "The students seem like they're ready to get back to work."