New superintendent is at the helm for Conneaut’s first day

Aug. 27--CONNEAUT -- A new face was at the door of Lakeshore Primary School on Tuesday morning to greet students reporting for their first day of class in the Conneaut Area City Schools district.

Michael Notar, the district's new superintendent, made the rounds of buildings on the start of the 2014-2015 year. Notar began his duties Aug. 1, succeeding Kent Houston, who remains on staff as administrator on special assignment until his retirement later this year.

One day before the kickoff of the new year, Notar said the district was primed for a solid start. "All the buildings look great," he said.

School bells also rang Tuesday in the Buckeye and Grand Valley districts. Classes start today at Geneva, Pymatuning Valley, Ashtabula and Jefferson districts.

Notar comes to Conneaut from Warren City Schools, where he served as superintendent for two years. He also was a superintendent in his hometown of Brookfield, and held administrative school positions in Warren and Niles. Other than the top spot, the administrative lineup remained the same in other buildings on the first day.

Plenty of Spartan-related activities will help pump up school spirit in the coming days, Notar said. At 5 p.m. Friday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the new Eighmy Track and Field complex on Maple Avenue, he said. Two hours later, the CHS football team will start their season with a home opener against Grand Valley.

On Sept. 5, the annual White-Out football game -- sponsored by State Farm Insurance -- comes to the football field. Games and rides adjacent to the stadium will be part of the pre-game festivities.

While enrollment numbers for the new year haven't been pinned down, Notar said the Conneaut district hasn't lost students compared to last year. "We didn't go down in numbers," he said.

Last week, CHS Principal Dawn Zappitelli said around 170 ninth graders were enrolled, one of the largest freshmen classes in years.

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(c)2014 Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio)

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