Students file into first day of school at Titan Hill

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - It’s back to school in Iowa — and in a different school for some Council Bluffs. students.

The Lewis Central Community Schools district kicked off the new year with a little extra “to-do” list for students — and an inflatable dragon.

For second-graders at Titan Hill Intermediate, Wednesday was their first time at their new school. All other Lewis Central students return to class on Thursday.

“We do a staggered start. Our second-graders are new to Titan Hill. We’re only second through fifth grade here.”

Their first day also happens to be one of the hottest of the summer.

“We have rotations for our staff for dismissal duties so no one gets overheated. And for our students, we’re doing some indoor activities today so that they can stay cool and safe in the heat. And hopefully, in a couple of days, the heat will die down and we can get them back outside.”

It’s coming with a slight challenge, like making sure the HVAC system can keep up.

“Yesterday, they started shutting down around 4 o’clock. But luckily, we’re done here at 3 (p.m.), so I think we’ll make it through the day.”

Another challenge: Getting the district’s pool back operational. In July, strong storms ripped part of the roof off the pool building. Some debris still lingers on the ground.

But progress is being made, like getting construction bids accepted, so the high school swim teams can get back in the water.

“In the meantime, our swim team is still swimming at Kirn Middle School in Council Bluffs — and we’ll probably end up doing the girls’ season there. Hopefully, by the time the boys’ season kicks off in about October/November, we’ll be able to host them back here.”

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