School starts again next week and Avon Lake students and staff have a lot to look forward to this year.

New Redwood Elementary School principal T.J. Ebert said he is very excited about the opportunity the coming year provides.

“Superintendent Scott gave me the chance to cover at the end of last school year, and it was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “I decided that when the position came open I would apply for it, because I really enjoyed myself.”

In addition to having served for the last five years as assistant high school principal at Avon Lake High School before moving up to the Redwood principal’s post, Ebert has 10 years experience as a social studies teacher and coach at the elementary school level. H e earned his undergraduate degree at Kent State University and his Master's Degree at Ashland College. He has a young family of his own, with his eldest child entering kindergarten in Avon Lake this fall.

Having experience educating both very young children and teenagers, Ebert conceded that there is a huge difference in teaching the different age groups.

“I expect that I will have more to say on that subject a few months into this,” he noted. “Last year, in one week, I got to run the kindergarten graduation on Wednesday, and assist with the high school graduation on Sunday. It was the best of both worlds. It’s a great experience seeing both ends of the spectrum, with kindergarten students moving on to the first grade and high school graduates going to college.”

Ebert said that this year Avon Lake students and their parents will have a chance to participate in Winter Family Nights with the PTA in February and March.

“It’s a way to get more families involved with the schools,” he explained. “Our parents are very active anyway, but this gives them more opportunity.”

Grade level showcases will continue, he said, with such programs as kindergarten graduation, fourth grade recognition, animal reports and wax museum, where participants dress up and portray famous characters.

“Of course, we have our new construction, with six additional classrooms,” he said. A parent information night open house is planned for Aug. 25.

“This coming year, we’re going to continue all of the good things we did in the past,” Ebert said. “More than 98 percent of our students test above proficiency level. We aren’t satisfied with just proficient. We want our students to excel.”