OXFORD — Administrators throughout the Oxford Hills School District reported a successful first week back to school, despite a heat wave and some larger than expected classes.

“It was a wonderful start,” said Rowe Elementary School Principal George “Beaux” Sincerbeaux, who, along with Hannaford supermarket in Oxford, kept the 446 children cool during the 90-plus-degree heat wave last week with Popsicles.

“We kept on trucking,” he said of the students, who include 18 prekindergarten students who will start school on Monday.

At the Waterford Elementary School, Principal Margaret Emery reported that 18 preschool children are set to start school Monday and 15 showed up for an open house this week, where a school bus took the children for a ride.

At Harrison Elementary School, which she also administers, Emery said there are 220 kindergarten through grade six students registered. Despite some busing issues for the fifth and sixth-grade students, she said everything went smoothly.

Otisfield Elementary School held its first field trip and an open house, where each student was given a bandanna to go along with the rodeo theme, said Principal Linda Park.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Ted Moccia said they also had a “great start.”

Moccia thanked the school board for allowing summer school to continue despite financial cutbacks during the last school year that initially eliminated the program this summer. Because the summer school was allowed to continue, Moccia reported that more than 200 credits were “recovered” and do not have to be made up by students during this school year.

Superintendent Rick Colpitts recommended and the Board of Directors agreed to hire a sixth-grade teacher, through contingency funding, at the Oxford Elementary School to address 27 students in two classes.

A kindergarten technician II position was also approved at the Hebron Elementary School to address a larger than anticipated kindergarten class. That position will also be funded through the contingency fund. No specific amounts to pay for the positions were available.

Education technicians were also hired at the Oxford Hills Middle School, Oxford Elementary School and Paris Elementary School for the 30 unexpected students needing special education services. That money will come from federal sources, said Colpitts.

“School opened, students came and our work began,” said Colpitts.

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