Gabe Soumakian was almost giddy about being at Oxnard High School on Tuesday to greet the 2,900 students returning to school.
“I feel like a little kid going to Disneyland. There’s a lot of excitement,” said Soumakian, the Oxnard Union High School District’s new superintendent.
Oxnard High Principal Eric Riegert said Tuesday’s relatively smooth opening of the new school year came after a concerted effort by staff to make sure all students were in their classrooms on time.
“It’s not as much of a ghost town as I’d like to see, but that’s through no fault of the staff,” Riegert said as he watched a steady stream of stragglers head to their first-period classes. “It’s like being in a small town. I grew up in Canterbury, Conn., which had a population of 3,000. We have almost 3,000 students here.” …
