La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

School’s no longer out for summer. Today, August 30, is the first day of school for students of the La Conner School District. It is also the first school day for Dr. Whitney Meissner, the new superintendent of the district. Same for Todd Torgeson, middle and high school principal.

In fact, it is the first day of school for at least 18 faculty and staff members new to this school district. At least four additional employees are in new positions from last spring.

The schools have some 582 students enrolled. At the August 28 school board meeting, Torgeson reported 138 middle school and 185 high school students. He is responsible for 323 students in his buildings. Seventy-five of them are ninth graders, as new to the high school as their principal.

Bev Bowen, elementary school principal, has 259 students under her tutelage today, according to Ann Van Pelt, her administrative assistant. Forty of them are in two kindergarten classes.

Next week the district will make an official count and report of enrolled students. That number may change, warns Bonnie Haley, district director of business and operations. It already has. In July Haley made the very accurate prediction that enrollment would be at or above the 555 students enrolled last year. The increase will be five percent if matriculation stays at 582.

A new adventure is underway for a lot of people, young and old.