School opens with little fanfare

As Brian Cram today began his farewell year as Clark County superintendent of schools, he said he has "a warm and fuzzy feeling" -- glad he got the opportunity to do the job, sad that soon the time will come for him to bow out.

"In just one generation, my family has gone from an elementary school custodian to the superintendent of schools," said Cram, who is in his 11th year as superintendent of the nation's eighth-largest school district.

After a lifetime in education, today marked Cram's final first day of school.

Cram noted that his late father, janitor George Cram, had to quit school after the fourth grade to get a job and help the family, yet was an intelligent man who had a great influence on Brian's decision to become an educator.

"I remember as a boy helping my father clean a classroom in this district," said Cram, a graduate of Las Vegas High School. "He tapped the teacher's desk and said, 'don't ever forget that the most important things happen in this room.'

"I have a warm and fuzzy feeling because I will leave with a great deal of gratitude that I was given the opportunity to do this job."

School District officials noted no major problems early today at the 236 public schools that opened their doors this morning for the 1999-2000 school year.

"We have a few buses running late this morning -- but that is not uncommon for the first day. We will work to get the transportation issues ironed out the first week. Otherwise, things are going pretty smoothly so far," school district spokeswoman Mary Stanley-Larsen said.

"This is always the most exciting day of the school year -- this and the last day," said Las Vegas High Principal Barry Gunderson who 26 years ago was given his first school district job -- math teacher at Orr Junior High -- by Cram, who was then assistant superintendent.

"It is just awesome. We have 165 adults on this campus who are ready to educate 2,450 students -- a great bunch of kids."

Like Cram, seniors are entering their final year with much anticipation.

"You spend all your prior years looking up, then you reach the top and are looking down -- it is a much different view," said Anthony Marini, 17, the Wildcat quarterback who Saturday night helped lead the varsity football team to a 12-6 scrimmage victory over Cheyenne High School.

"There is so much to look forward to -- the season, the classes, taking my SATs -- I'll just take the challenges one at a time."

Angelique Brown, 17, an honor roll student, enters her senior year noting: "This is exciting, but not as exciting as it was in the fifth or sixth grade. I am looking forward to graduation and going to college, most likely UNLV."

Sara Morris, a 17-year-old honor roll student with aspirations to go into the field of psychology said: "I've always strived so hard to get straight As. But now that I am a senior, I'm going to relax a little and have some fun this year -- yet still get the good grades."

Cram has been superintendent of the Clark County School District during its era of greatest growth. Student population and the district's staff, including its teachers, have more than doubled. This year, more than 216,000 children are enrolled and more than 12,700 teachers are on staff.

Cram's years at the helm far exceed the national average of 2.4 years for superintendents of large, high-profile school districts. He is scheduled to step down on June 30, but said he would leave sooner if the new superintendent is ready to take over before that date.

During Cram's tenure, bonds were passed in 1988, '94, '96 and '98 totaling $5.3 billion to build new schools. The first three bonds, totaling $1.8 billion, built 98 schools The last one, for $3.5 billion, will build 88 more schools in the next decade.

"I'm just glad that we got to start my farewell tour with all of the new schools ready on time and under budget," Cram said of the district's four new elementary schools, one junior high and three high schools, which cost $153.3 million to construct.

The new schools are Ollie Detwiler Elementary, Keith C. and Karen W. Hayes Elementary and Joseph M. Neal Elementary, all in Las Vegas; Lorna J. Kesterson Elementary in Henderson; Clifford J. Lawrence Junior High in Las Vegas; Centennial High and Desert Pines High in Las Vegas; and Foothill High in Henderson.

They will relieve overcrowding in surrounding schools. For instance, Las Vegas High has 630 less students this year than last because of the opening of Desert Pines.

Three days before classes started at spanking new Detwiler, teacher and staff members were arranging furniture, unpacking books and hanging likenesses of the Ollie Detwiler sea otter school mascot.

"We're anxious to start the year," Principal Gary Namba said Friday morning.

Namba's neck tie lay on his desk. In a couple of hours he would don it for the afternoon open house. Parents accompanied their children, who found their classrooms and met their new teachers.

"It takes some of the edge off that first day," Namba said.

Jodi Roix has been teaching second grade for five years, but this morning she expects to be feeling a lot like her new students.

"That's been my biggest fear -- coming here and not knowing anybody," Roix said Friday as she waited for books to be delivered to her classroom. "Everything's new. Everybody's new."

This morning, Roix asked 7-year-old Brian Lara-Lopez: "Are you excited about second grade?"

"No, I'm scared," Lopez said looking down.

Roix took Lopez by the hand and led him to the monkey bars and introduced him to Aaron Harris. A few minutes later, the two boys were laughing and swinging from the bars like old friends.

"It's usually not too bad for second graders," Roix said. "I might have one that will cry but that's usually when a parent is hanging on. The sooner we get rid of mom and dad, the better."

"I'm nervous about my classes," said Jeremy Rondael, an 11-year-old sixth grader. "I don't think I'll be able to make all that many new friends today. But I'll fit in."

Lauren Wu, a 13-year-old eighth grader, walked with an air of someone who had been there and done that. She was looking forward to seeing her friends and classes like math and Spanish.

"I know my way around already," she said.

But she recalled the agony of being a sixth grader: "Yeah, I remember. I was just looking up at all the eight graders."

Principal Patricia LaMonica scurried in and out of the office, greeting students from last year, and trying to make the new ones feel welcome.

One teacher came up to LaMonica with a distressed girl. It seems the student got on the wrong bus. She wasn't supposed to be at Hyde Park.

"Don't worry sweetie," LaMonica said. "We'll get you there. You might be a little late."

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