Today is the first day of school for Hastings Middle School students.
And as a new school year is underway at Hastings Middle School, Principal Ryan Wynn says staff are thrilled to welcome back the students.
Teachers and staff spent the past week preparing classrooms, taking part in professional development, and getting everything ready for students.
Wynn says it’s been a positive start to the new school year.
“Well, we’re just really excited. We’ve been putting a lot of work in here through the teacher workshop week. Staff, you know, just getting their classrooms and spaces ready for students, and have had a really great week of staff and professional development.”
One challenge that comes with the start of school is traffic. With Hastings Middle School and Pinecrest Elementary located next to each other, buses, cars, walkers, and bicyclists can all converge in the area at the same time.
Wynn says families don’t have to rely solely on the busy loop between the two schools for drop-off.
“I really want to remind our families that we do have the other side of the building side that’s close to Highway 55, and that’s another drop-off option. So everybody doesn’t need to funnel into that loop between the middle school and Pinecrest.”
Wynn says parents can also help ease congestion by keeping the drop-off lanes moving. He says families who arrive early and wait in an active drop-off lane can unintentionally create backups.
“If you want to wait with your student, really just find a parking space rather than an active drop-off area, and you can hang out there.”
Wynn also recommends that families arrive a few minutes early, pull forward when a space opens up, and to keep
moving once students are out of the vehicle.
“Please give yourself an extra few minutes here and arrive a little bit early to make sure your student’s ready to exit. Pull forward when spaces open up, and once they’re out, just keep moving. And those little things do make a huge difference for everybody.”
Looking ahead, Wynn says he’s eager for students to experience the results of work that has been happening behind the scenes at the middle school.
“The students are going to experience the results of a lot of behind-the-scenes work that the staff’s done and support staff administration has done here. And the big thing we really talk about is consistency, really about our expectations, our processes, how we support students when they struggle, and ultimately what we really want that student experience to be at Hastings Middle School. For kids, I hope they know what’s expected of them. I hope that they know that the adults there care about them, where they go when they need help, and know that they can be successful there.”
And this year, families will also see some new faces around the school.
“Families will notice we have added a lot of new staff here at the middle school, and we are really excited about the energy and experience and new perspectives they bring. And that’s what we’re trying to do is integrate those new experiences and new energy into the existing structures that really have seen success happen here for our Raiders every day, and really excited for another great 2026-27 school year.”
[Click the soundbite to listen to the report.]