The 2023-2024 school year began for West Hartford Public Schools on Aug. 30, 2023.

By Ronni Newton

Excitement, along with a bit of nervous apprehension, could be seen on the faces of the students arriving at West Hartford’s Smith STEM School for the first day of classes on Wednesday morning.

It was also the first official day of classes in her new role for Ashley Callan, who was named principal of the magnet school in June, following the retirement of Teresa Giolito.

“I’m just really excited to rejoin the community,” said Callan, who had served as Smith STEM’s principal on an interim basis when Giolito was on leave.

While a forecast of thunderstorms pre-empted a planned outdoor ceremony, Callan was on hand greeting families and welcoming arriving students into the building.

From the wide-eyed kindergartners to the confident fifth-graders, there were hugs and high-fives as students reunited with friends and posed for photos outside the school sign before heading to their classrooms.

Superintendent Paul Vicinus – also experiencing the first day of school in his new role – said that by late morning he had visited about half of the district’s schools, “and the theme thus far is ‘JOY,'” he said in a text.

“Teachers have created incredibly warm, welcoming, and inviting spaces. Our custodians made the schools look so clean and welcoming. There is a great buzz with students as they make new relationships with their teachers and each other,” Vicinus said.

Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy Morrow said the year appeared to be off to a very smooth start. “The rain held off so most of the elementary schools were able to have their welcome outside with parents,” he said.

Several Sedgwick Middle School parents took to social media to express their concern about a bus being extremely late, with the driver getting lost on the way to pick up students and on the way to the school. “There have been a couple of bus mixups due to new drivers and routes, but they will be quickly worked out,” Morrow said.

Callan praised her “wonderful staff, wonderful families, and wonderful students,” and said that Smith STEM “is an easy place to come back to.”

During an interview last week, Vicinus said there were 9,268 students enrolled in West Hartford Public Schools across all grade levels, including Pre-K and post-secondary. Updated enrollment figures will be released to the Board of Education in October.

 

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