The start of the 2016-17 school year is here. The first day of school is Tuesday August 30th. All incoming 9th graders and any 10th, 11th or 12th graders new to the school should be present on Tuesday. We will have an orientation day where students will learn about the school routines, get to know the staff and will also be able to go to all eight classes for a shortened period. Lunch is provided on this day as well. All returning students start school on Wednesday morning. There is no late start this week so classes begin at 8:25 AM on Wednesday. On another note, I wanted to share that this will be my last year at the high school. I will leave the high school at the end of June 2017. I am retiring and although I don't have any set plans at this time, I look forward to travel and more bike riding as at least a couple of things to keep me busy. I am very pleased to announce that Jacob Pence will be the principal at the high school beginning with the 2017-18 school year. Jacob will do an outstanding job in this new role. Jacob and I will work closely this coming school year on making a smooth transition for my departure and his move to the principalship. To that end, I will be handling student management for 9th and 10th graders and Jacob will handle 11th and 12th graders. Jacob will also be much more involved in graduation planning and the counseling of seniors as they move towards graduating. I anticipate some other changes as well and will keep you posted. We expect to post and hire for Jacob's replacement in the spring. As I have always said, the students, parents and community of Banks are wonderful. The students commitment to their studies and the parent and community support results in a high graduation rate with students prepared to move on to the next step in their lives. Thanks for great kids and all that you do to support their success! Welcome to the 2016-17 school year.