Students exit Shepherdstown Middle School on the second day of classes Tuesday in the Jefferson County School District. The enrollment of the school is 317, which is three more students than last year. (Photo by James P. Whipple)

SHEPHERDSTOWN – Shepherdstown Elementary School Principal Suzanne Offutt is looking forward to a very busy, but good school year, she said recently.

The school year began Monday 462 students at the elementary school, which is up by about 50 from last year, she said.

“We’ve had an auspicious beginning.” Offutt said.

“Every thing’s been smooth in spite of adding that many children. We still don’t have the staff completely in place.”

Despite hiring three new teachers, the staff has an opening for at lest one more teacher, she said.

“We’re short one person,” Offutt said. “Everyone pitched in. It’s been a good start to the year”.

She has served Shepherdstown Elementary School as principal since 1999 and lived and worked in Jefferson County since 1991. Before coming to the Shepherdstown Elementary, she worked at the South Jefferson Elementary as speech-language pathologist and head teacher.

With the new school year comes a new course in math.

“We have a new math series called Everyday Math,” Offutt said.

The course will teach students new ways of speaking about math and a new way of understanding math, she said.

Just down the street from the elementary school sits Shepherdstown Middle School.

Betsey Best, the school’s principle, has been at Shepherdstown Middle School for several years and has been principal for the last two years.

“I’m looking forward to a very good school year.” she said.

With that, the bell rang and she was out the door to supervise the loading of school buses.

The enrollment of the school is 317, which is three more students than last year.