Before she was a school superintendent, principal or administrator, Carol Lark was a mom.
"When each of my boys started kindergarten, I cried all the way home," said Lark, now Douglas County school superintendent.
That memory makes Lark sensitive to back-to-school jitters experienced by parents and students alike.
The county's elementary schools open Wednesday and the secondary schools on Aug. 27.
"When children start school, their parents no longer can control their environment," she said. "They're exposed to the world and as a parent, it's really scary."
But, Lark said, parents of Douglas County students can have faith in their schools.
"Parents need to trust their schools. We totally take responsibility for educating all our children. We do our absolute best to make sure that every child meets their total potential," she said.
Lark, who came to Douglas County from Clark County, said she never worked in such a dynamic district.
"I am very, very fortunate," she said. "I've been in every classroom in every school. You get the best feeling in the world as they get ready for their first open houses."
She encouraged parents to visit Web sites for their individual schools and the district site.
Parents can learn all kinds of information from the cost of school lunches to holidays.
"I am so proud of our teachers," Lark said. "They are on the front lines."
Lark had basic advice for parents dealing with first-day jitters.
"I think it's really important to get plenty of rest and start out with a good breakfast," she said. "For the little ones, their tummies start growling before lunch time."
She couldn't overemphasize parents' role on the first day.
"Everything is attitude," she said. "Parents will pass it down to their children."
ON THE WEB
Douglas County School District
http://dcsd.k12.nv.us/
School contact information
http://www.dcsd.k12.nv.us/index.php?click1=schools&click2=schoolcontactinfo
