Students back in school with clean slate

WE'RE BACK-Third graders Jake Davis, left, and his twin brother Max join Zach Barrett on the first day of school at Brookside Elementary in Oak Park. Brookside is one of six schools in the Oak Park Unified School District. Facing the possibility of declining enrollment, Oak Park administrators say they are pleased to report that more students started school this week than in years past.

"Enrollment seems to be up," said Tony Knight, Oak Park Unified School District superintendent. "We thought we'd be down quite a few students, but it doesn't look like it. We had more people moving to the district and coming to us" from other districts.

Knight said the district ended its last school year with a total of 3,765 students and is starting this semester with 3,814. Out-of-district transfers make up the majority of the increase.

Knight said the talk about declining enrollment came from demographic reports that show fewer people moving into Oak Park than in the past. The planned community has completed its residential construction and the populationhas stabilized.

"Declining enrollment can be disastrous," Knight said. "And we've thought for the last few years that we would be going down. But we are managing to stay right around the same or even increase every year."

With more kids come more opportunities. Jerry Block, an assistant principal at Oak Park High School, said he's eager to introduce a Chinese language class. There are plans to expand the introductory course to a full fouryear program over time.

"China is a major player in the global world," Block said. "It's important to expose our kids to different cultures, different languages."

Other classes open to students this year include athletic training, wood and cabinetry and computer application courses centering on office skills.

"We want to focus on the whole student," Block said. "We want them to learn some practical skills. It's about providing opportunities for all students and all learners, and focusing on the whole child."

Knight calls institution of the district's new wellness policy the most significant development over the last year.

One section of federal law governing child nutrition requires that all school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program have local wellness policies in place by July 1. But Oak Park parents who were at the helm of the project wanted more for their children.

Organizers asserted that "while the creation of a wellness policy was mandated by federal law, our policy is a more comprehensive and child-centered policy than the federal law requires."

The policy, which was adopted by the school board May 16, addresses the importance of physical education and nutrition studies. It also puts restrictions on foods that can be served at meals, sold after school or brought in for birthday celebrations or class parties.

"It includes more natural and organic foods, that's a big focus," Knight said. "It's going to look different as far as what our food services will look like at school."