Superintendent Mike Miles arrived at Ketelsen Elementary bright and early on Monday, Aug. 12, to welcome students back and observe the first day of instruction of the 2024-2025 school year. 

Ketelsen is just one of the 45 campuses that adopted the district’s New Education System (NES) for the new school year, joining the 85 campuses already participating. The NES system follows an alternative instructional strategy that focuses on more participatory and structured lessons. One of the most important elements of NES is a rigorous curriculum designed to keep students and teachers engaged, so NES and NES-Aligned schools dove straight into lessons on the first day of school.

The Superintendent visited three schools on Monday morning, Ketelsen Elementary, Dogan Elementary, Navarro Middle School. Teachers and principals at each campus were enthusiastic and excited to start the school year strong after weeks of professional development over the summer. 

“All three schools were very well prepared. It’s like they’re in the fifth or sixth week of school,” said Miles. “It’s great to see instruction on the first day. There are things we have to improve of course, but for the first day of school, I’m very proud of the teachers and principals. It’s going to be a good year.”

Teachers and staff have noticed the difference in their students between this year and last as the growing pains of a brand new educational strategy have faded into muscle memory. 

“When I spoke to some of the students, they’re acclimated to the expectations, and they’re very engaged and their teachers are very engaged as well,” said HISD Board Member Rolando Martinez. “Teachers are jumping right in.” 

While students concentrate on their lessons, HISD remains focused on quality education and the safety of students and staff.

Community members and elected officials joined staff at Marshall Middle School on Monday morning to welcome students back to campus alongside Safe Walk Home Northside, an organization created in memory of Marshall student Josue Flores, who passed away in 2016. 

“Today is a celebration,” said Marshall principal Jeff Bridgewater. “We are celebrating the life of Josue Flores, we are celebrating the Northside community, and we are celebrating our students as we welcome them back for their first day of school. We are excited for all the great things that we have in store for our students this year, and we look forward to supporting our students by keeping them safe and providing them with a top-notch education throughout the year.”

To keep up with the excitement of the first week of fall semester at HISD, follow us on X and Instagram for regular updates.