Students in the Vicksburg Warren School District will be getting a slightly earlier start to the school year next year.

The VWSD Board of Trustees members approved the school calendar for the 2018-19 school year at their meeting Thursday. The first day of school will be Tuesday, Aug. 7. This past year students started Aug. 10. 

The first day for teachers will be Aug. 1 and the convocation will be held Aug. 3. Students taking classes at Hinds Community College will have their first day of class Aug. 13.

Testing at the end of the first nine weeks will be Oct. 9-12 and the second nine weeks will start Oct. 15.

Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 19-23.

Testing for the second nine weeks will be Dec. 17-20 and Christmas break will start with a 60 percent day Dec. 21 and students will return for the beginning of the third nine weeks Jan. 8.

The third nine weeks will end with testing March 4-8 and spring break will take place March 11-15 with the final nine weeks starting March 18.

The last day of class for students enrolled at Hinds will be May 10 and the final day of the 2018-19 school year will be May 23.

Graduation for seniors at Vicksburg High School will be held that evening and graduation for Warren Central will be held May 24.

Also at Thursday night’s meeting, the board recognized trustees Bryant Pratt, Alonzo Stevens, Sally Bullard, Joe Loviza and Jim Stirgus Jr. with presentations and gifts from schools within the district.

In other actions the board approved a trip by the Warren Central Drama Club to attend a showing of “Phantom of the Opera” in New Orleans March 24-25 and for the Vicksburg and Warren Central volleyball teams to attend a camp in Birmingham in July.

Students in the Career Technical Program were approved to take a visit to University of Louisiana at Lafayette on March 27 to take a tour of campus and see current research projects being undertaken by the school’s engineering students.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that spring break would be March 11-14. The break will be March 11-15.