Middletown Schools: 5 things to know for the new school year

2. New superintendent at the helm

Middletown Schools Superintendent Marlon Styles Jr. is among the newcomers to local school leaders.

The leadership spotlight will shine brightly on Styles, and in his first weeks on the job he has already established an energetic pace of engagement that seeks to draw more support from school families, residents, businesses and city leaders.

“We are excited the opportunity to partner with the community and bring them into the walls of the schools to have positive experiences,” said Styles, who has already launched a new initiative — “Middie Modernization Movement” — designed to rally more support for the schools.

3. $96 million construction project continues

Middletown City Schools is having an opening of sorts for its high school under renovation by unveiling 30 modernized classrooms.

More learning areas and a 2,200-seat sports arena will open later in the school year as part of the district’s $96 million new middle school and high school renovation project.

4. School board may see some new faces

The filing deadline to be included on the November 2017 ballot for Middletown school board has passed. Here’s a look at who is running for two open seats:

5. Modernization movement underway

During a recent staff rally, Styles formally introduced a campaign – the “Middie Modernization Movement” — he launched shortly after taking the top job on Aug. 1.

It’s a multi-faceted plan to positively impact all aspects of the city school district.

One aspect of the strategy, he said, calls for teachers and other school staffers to become more active on social media in reaching out to the public about Middletown Schools’ successes – already a point of emphasis Styles has applied to himself.

MORE: Superintendent leads Middletown Schools’ social media push