Community Pulse: The first day of school is the best time of year

This is the best time of the year! As I shared with District 1 staff and families, my favorite day is the first day of school when kids return to our buildings. The excitement and energy they possess is just unbelievable.

At the start of each school year our students and their families are invited to take part in Meet the Teacher Night and there was a high level of enthusiasm present as our youngest students visited their school buildings to meet their teachers, building administrators and staff. The smiles on the students’ faces showed how eager they were to get back to class. That same level of excitement was present at the middle and high schools as students arrived for their first day of classes.

The start of the academic year provides opportunities for new adventures and new beginnings. This year we welcome 14 new faculty members to the district, two administrators and several support personnel to serve our growing enrollment of over 2,100 students.

The most important job we have is to educate our students and support their learning and overall wellbeing. I am proud of the work put in day-in and day-out by our teachers, classroom aides, support personnel and administrators whose focus is and will always be the students.

A highlight of the first day at Coal City High School was the recognition of students for achievement in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP coursework is college level work, and a passing test score earns the student college credit. There were 159 students enrolled in the 12 available AP courses during the 2023-2024 school year. Of the 159 students enrolled, the school conducted 230 AP Exams last spring resulting in 30 students receiving recognition from the College Board, the organization that administers the AP program. There are three levels of AP recognition, and 16 students were named AP Scholars having achieved a score of 3 or higher on three or more exams. Five students earned AP Scholar with Honor recognition for receiving an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams. The most prestigious award given is AP Scholar with Distinction, these are students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Nine Coalers earned that honor based on their 2023-2024 participation in the program. Additionally, 12 current Coalers were honored for having achieved a 5 (the highest score available) on at least one exam. This is very rigorous coursework, and we are extremely proud of their academic achievement.

To further support our students’ growth and interests our district offers numerous extra and co-curricular activities. We are excited to see what the year holds for our students involved in academic clubs and organizations, fine arts, and athletics.