HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (WTVF) — Summer is officially over for Christian County students. The district opened its doors Wednesday morning for the first day of school.
Superintendent Chris Bentzel said the district is expecting its largest enrollment yet for the 2022-2023 school year. He said it goes to show how the county is growing. They are expecting around 500 new students, up to 8,100 from 7,600 students.
The theme for this school year is supporting students, empowering educators and advocating for all.
Bentzel said they want to get back to doing what they do best in their school system, which is making sure students feel supported through education, mental health, nutrition, post-grad transitions, and extracurriculars.
“We get to have our kindergarten parents back in our schools for the first time in two years, drop their kindergartners off, students have lunch with their parents, we get to have volunteers in our buildings and help serve our students," he said. "So it is a lot of relief, we have to make sure we manage, mitigate and understand what’s still out there with the pandemic and other things."
A big focus is also on supporting educators. Bentzel said they’re doing everything they can to coach and train them while giving them the resources they need to thrive.
Safety continues to be a big priority for the county. Bentzel said school resource officers can be found in all buildings throughout the district.
