LEWISTON – The morning after Lewiston High School brought back parent-teacher conferences, the principal said he’s pleased with how many parents turned out.

After 15 years of not offering the conferences, Monday night about 300 parents turned out. On Tuesday night, there were about 250, said Principal Gus LeBlanc. “The parking lot was full.”

In all, some 1,000 meetings between parents and teachers were held, LeBlanc said. Most parents met with about four teachers.

“We had 940 scheduled parent conferences, and close to another 70 drop-ins,” LeBlanc said. “I’m just ecstatic considering we haven’t done it for a long time. … It was a resounding success.”

Some teachers told LeBlanc they were booked with parent meetings “from the minute they got here to the minute they left.”

Most high schools hold parent teacher conferences. LeBlanc said he brought them back to to improve education at Lewiston High. Experts say education improves when parents are involved.

LeBlanc agreed. “We want more parent contact.”

– Bonnie Washuk