NEWARK – Nineteen hundred and twenty-five students and 507 staff members returned to Newark Central School District Schools September 6th to begin an exciting new school year.

Superintendent Susan Hasenauer, pleased with what she saw after visiting the district’s five schools September 6th, said the 2022-23 school year will be a “terrific one.”

“What an amazing start to the school year!  There is nothing better than to see the faces of incoming Pre-K/Kindergartens as they embark on their first school experiences!  Staff couldn’t wait to welcome students early Tuesday morning. Whether it was wiping a tear, opening a locker, adjusting a schedule or greeting students with a smile, it was clear the 2022-2023 school year was underway and the vibe was that of positivity!  Bulletin boards were vibrant, one staff member put notes on each door wishing their colleagues a great year, staff were in the halls ensuring all students knew where to go and many were wearing T-shirts that displayed the District’s new mission statement: ‘Educate and engage today to empower for tomorrow’”.

 Return to school followed an upbeat and highly-motivating Superintendent’s Conference Day August 31st  that opened in the Newark High School Auditorium. 

It was jam-packed with tons of important information; Years of Service staff recognition; introduction of new staff; presentation of the 2022 Friend of Education Award; and the official roll-out of the attractive, newly-configured district website.

At the start, Hasenauer reflected on the enormous challenges staff, students, families and the community-at-large faced much of the last school year “entrenched” in myriad COVID-related challenges and protocols.

“To say you were resilient is an understatement – each day you consistently worked to rebuild human connections that were lost, as well as foster a sense of belonging in a culture that was plagued with staff shortages, loss, depression, anxiety, inconsistency due to absences and behavioral difficulties that were different from before,” she said. “However, you did it. You showed up and you were ready to support our children.  New teachers – look around, you have joined an amazing team of educators.”

Despite great challenges, Hasenauer enumerated the District’s significant accomplishments during the last year including the development of a new Strategic Plan and Mission Statement with input from parents and community members. 

Krista Lewis, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction then explained the areas the District would focus on in the District Comprehensive Improvement Plan (DCIP) during the first year of the new Strategic Plan implementation. The DCIP is closely aligned with the Strategic Plan.

Hasenauer said that with a distinctive Strategic Plan and aligned DCIP and SCEP (School Comprehensive Improvement Plan) “we now have a concrete road map.”

Then she told staff to “Be intentional, love one another. With that said, may you have a wonderful school year.”

During the recognition of staff years of service Hasenauer announced Ruth Brown, a teaching assistant in the Kelley School Library, has worked a total of 40 years for the NCSD. Brown received a hearty standing ovation.

The opening assembly concluded with Mike Newman, Director of Technology explaining how Hasenauer asked him in January to reconfigure the school district’s website. He then put Audiovisual and Social Media Coordinator Kyle Bliek in charge of the project six months ago.

 Bliek, who also is now Webmaster, then excitedly and officially unveiled the sleek new website design in an informative presentation, explaining many of its easy-to-access components.

He noted it is a work-in-progress and more content will continually be added.