DOWAGIAC — The 2018-2019 school year will be one of growth for Dowagiac Union Schools, according to district officials.

On Sept. 4, school will resume in Dowagiac, filling the halls of Dowagiac Union Schools with smiling children ready for their first day of school. However, until then, staff will be preparing for the new year and reviewing their goals and expectations for the 2018-2019 school year.

For Superintendent Paul Hartsig, the school year will be about seeing through developments that have been in the works for a long time, the biggest being the completion of construction at the high school and elementary schools.

“I’m most excited to have the kids come in and see the progress we have made on the buildings,” Hartsig said. “We have some surprises for them.”

Construction at the schools are right on track as part of a $37 million pair of bonds passed by district voters in 2015, according to Hartsig. All schools will be ready to open by Sept. 4, with around 80 percent of the high school work completed. All renovations to the high school, including the new gym, will be completed by December.

The changes in the high school include new windows, new lockers, smart devices in most classrooms, adding teachers’ workspaces, an expanded parking area, added learning labs and a new gym. New security features are also being added by making more secure entryways, by adding buzzer systems and changing the front offices to make sure that visitors must go through the front office and sign in before having access to the rest of the building. Smaller scale renovations are being added to each elementary school, which will be completed next summer.

After three years of work, Hartsig said he is excited and relieved to see the renovations to the schools completed in the coming year.

“This has been something I have thought about every day,” he said. “I’m excited to show everyone where we are so far.”

The growth will not end at school renovations, Hartsig said. The staff will also grow, with the district adding 20 new staff and teachers for the 2018-2019 school year.

“I’m excited to see [the new staff] in the classroom and interacting with the kids,” Hartsig said. “I feel like we have hired som great, great teachers this summer. I’m just excited to see new energy come through the school. When the teachers and students come back through, it’s great.”

Though there will be many changes coming to the school district this year, Hartsig said there is one thing that remains the same: his advice to students on their first day back to school.

“[Students] should enjoy it and just have fun,” Hartsig said. “But be ready to work, because the goal of school is to learn.”