Lynwood, Calif. – More than 14,000 students flocked to Lynwood Unified School District campuses on Aug. 20 to start the new school year, greeted by eager principals, teachers as well as new services and programs to help them succeed.

At Marshall Elementary School, hundreds of parents were welcomed by acting principal Deette Clay, who opened the doors early to help them and their children find rooms and teachers. About 700 students were expected to start classes at the campus.

At Lynwood Middle School, new principal Luz Castillo heads the largest middle school in the district, serving nearly 1,000 seventh- and eighth-graders. Castillo was pleased with how well her staff was able to get students to their classes and manage late-registering students.

“It has been great here today,” said Castillo. “By 8:45 a.m., all the students were in classes and getting the year underway.” Castillo takes over for Hector Preciado, who is now the principal at Firebaugh High School.

Preciado came to Firebaugh after four years at Lynwood Middle. While the surroundings are different, the faces are familiar.

“It was nice to see so many of the students welcome me here at Firebaugh after I was their middle school principal,” said Preciado. “We are seeing many positives coming from the programs we have in place and want to continue to build on that success.”

District leaders prepared for the new school year by making dozens of improvements to learning environments over summer. Students and teachers will quickly notice one major upgrade: increased Internet access thanks to installation of additional Wi-Fi access points across all schools.

“We have been improving many of our facilities to allow us to work faster and give students and teachers the tools to harness information and develop critical skills needed in our 21th century education environment,” said Lynwood Unified Superintended Paul Gothold. “We are also adding many new and exciting programs and personnel to support student achievement and enrichment opportunities.”

Those programs include expanding the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program to all elementary school sites. The program helps students prepare for success in high school and college by teaching them specific skills and providing support.

The first day of school is a celebration for the Board of Education.

“We are so pleased to welcome the children of our community back to our campuses,” said Board of Education President Maria Lopez. “The first day is an event where neighbors, family and friends gather at our schools and put their trust in our district to educate their children and form them into the leaders of tomorrow.”

Captions

FIRST DAY1: Students and parents move to line up for class at Marshall Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 20 in Lynwood as LUSD celebrated the first day of school for the 2015-16 year.

FIRST DAY2: Students line up for class at Marshall Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 20 in Lynwood as LUSD celebrated the first day of school for the 2015-16 year.

FIRST DAY3: Children climb the jungle gym at Marshall Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 20 in Lynwood prior to class on first day of school for the 2015-16 year.

FIRST DAY4: Students talk about classroom rules and introduce themselves to one another at Lynwood Middle School on Thursday, Aug. 20 in Lynwood as LUSD celebrated the first day of school for the 2015-16 year.