Students across the region are back in the classrooms as the Warren County School District wraps up its first week of the new school year.
However, the return hasn’t been without its challenges.
At the Warren Area Elementary Center, the first week has been a learning experience not just for the students but for the district as a whole.
Principal Shawn Bedow explained, "Warren County School District is one of the largest school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in terms of land size, so we cover almost 800 square miles. We currently have 663 students in grades K through 4 here in our building, so when people are talking about arrivals and dismissals, that presents its own challenges, but we've gone over what went wrong after our first day back and it’s much better here now at the end of the week. We've adjusted and buttoned things up, our kids are arriving to school on time and leaving according to schedule, so it’s working out really well."
Superintendent Gary Weber also addressed the difficulties faced during the first week, noting that many new administrators are still finding their footing. "We have a lot of new administrators, so we are just trying to get the right communications out and are working with them," Weber said. "I think they have done a great job getting ready for day one. The tough part about education is that you can only make changes until the following year. So, when you do a startup on day one and something doesn’t go well, you can’t do anything until a year from now."
Despite the initial challenges, district representatives are pleased to announce a new addition that’s already making a positive impact—therapy dogs. "One of the things we are most excited about is being able to provide therapy dogs in a lot of our school buildings," Bedow shared. "Here at Warren Area Elementary Center, we have Pepper. She was trained through New Hope Dogs here in Warren and has been very helpful these first few days. We have a lot of kindergarteners that are afraid to walk in the first couple of days, so she has been a large help in getting them through the doors and smiling again."
As the school year progresses, the Warren County School District is optimistic about overcoming early challenges and looks forward to a successful year, supported by enhanced resources for both students and faculty.