First-grader Paige Jansson tells Benson Primary School Assistant Principal Forrest Watson all about her first day of school. Benson School District started the 2022-23 school year July 20.
Benson Primary School reading specialists Patty Starr, left and Traci Rhodes organize classroom materials as they prepare for the start of the new school year.
First-grader Paige Jansson tells Benson Primary School Assistant Principal Forrest Watson all about her first day of school. Benson School District started the 2022-23 school year July 20.
Benson Primary School reading specialists Patty Starr, left and Traci Rhodes organize classroom materials as they prepare for the start of the new school year.
BENSON — Benson Unified School District celebrated a smooth start to the 2022-23 school year, which started last Wednesday.
“We’ve had an amazing first day, with around 615 primary school Bobcat citizens enrolled,” said Jomel Jansson, Benson Primary School principal. “We held our ‘meet the staff’ event the evening before the first day, which gives parents an opportunity to meet their children’s teachers and see the classrooms. It’s a popular way to start the school year.”
The new school year, Jansson said, went without a glitch.
“We have new flooring in buildings throughout the whole district which look fantastic and the kids were happy to be back in school,” she said.
Jansson has a new assistant principal in Forrest Watson, and the primary school is in the process of adding a preschool program that serves children from infants through pre-kindergarten.
“We’re waiting for our state licensure, but once that comes through, we’re ready,” she said. “We should be starting soon, which means the primary school will be servicing infants through fifth grade.”
Jansson said it’s exciting to be starting the school year without the COVID challenges schools have been facing the past two years.
Benson Middle School Principal Thomas Webb Sr. shared similar comments.
“We started our 2022-2023 school year July 20th and things have gone really, really smoothly,” he said. “We didn’t have anything standing in our way this year as far as COVID was concerned, which was a refreshing change. We had no staffing problems or shortages of bus drivers. This is the most natural start of the school year that I feel we’ve had for the last couple of years. The kids were joyful, happy and excited about being in school, as was the staff.”
Webb noted that the start of school felt more normal than it’s felt in a long time.
“It’s great to be back to our old normal instead of the ‘new normal’ that we’ve been accustomed to dealing with for two years,” he said. “We’re looking forward to starting our sports programs and are excited about a great school year.”
With enrollment up by 80 students from last year, Benson High School Principal Jeff Thompson admitted being concerned about the first day of school.
“It went a lot smoother than I anticipated in spite of having 80 more students this year,” he said. “On top of the increase in enrollment, we have several new staff members in place. Everything worked out well for us in spite of those things. It was a great first day.”
With the additional 80 students, the high school’s enrollment is around 460.
The high school held a freshman orientation July 14, which was well attended by freshmen students and parents, Thompson said.
“We also held a back to school night the evening before school started which is beneficial for the kids, parents and staff. I think the first day of school went really well because of all the extra steps we took to make it smoother for everyone,” he said.
BUSD Superintendent Micah Mortensen also reported a “fantastic start to the school year.”
“There’s a level of assuredness and confidence amongst our students, staff and parents,” he said. “We have wonderful parents who support us, believe in us and trust us with their kids. It’s an honor to be serving this community.”
