Another school year is upon us already as students and teachers head back to the classroom this week.

While many smiling faces — and a few tears from new students and some parents — will be on display the first day of school, there is a lot for those within the Vicksburg Warren School District to be happy about.

Test scores from last school year show another increase in positive results. From graduation rates continue to climb to pre-K students scoring above the state average, there are several reasons to celebrate and be congratulated.

During Friday’s convocation event in the Vicksburg Convention Center, which was an incredible spectacle that certainly displayed the enormous talent of students and faculty, superintendent Chad Shealy noted several milestones the school system has reached over the last few years. Most notably that students are not only receiving an education and graduating, but excelling with millions of dollars in scholarships. Many more are being accepted into the job market through workforce training programs within the school district.

He noted that thousands of people from areas all over the country have toured the school system to see the improvements that have come about through programs such as Leader in Me, and Ford Next Generation Learning — the only school district in the state that has received such designation.

“We are changing lives,” Shealy said.

Shealy also thanked all of the employees within the school system for “choosing to be a part of Vicksburg Warren School District” and praised those for the “team effort” it took in passing an historic $83 million school bond measure that will be used for the $141 million facilities upgrade.

Test scores are rising, our children are graduating in record numbers and soon the facilities they are educated in will be improved.

We want to thank all of your local educators and administrators for the job they do in molding our most precious resource — our children.