Students return to Davis School District classrooms

Centerville, Utah — Utah students from the state’s second-largest school district returned to school on Monday.

After two extremely challenging years due to COVID-19, with 72,000 students attending 92 schools, teachers and staff in the Davis School District welcomed students back.

“COVID has been really hard for a lot of families, all of us, we’ve all been impacted by it, especially the students,” said Davis School District spokesperson Hailey Higgiens.

While the building has changed over the years, Centerville Elementary School has been in the neighborhood for generations. “I was in language arts instruction for a good part of 11 years and just being able to see the kids mouths, see them talk, see them be able to relate to each other, all the things that make learning more meaningful,” said principal Leslie Bertram. “Lots more interaction, lots more working together as teams, it’s all important life skills!”

Bertram is a first-time principal and hopes to be at the school for many years to come. The Davis district continues to grow, meaning new schools will be needed and older schools are going to need some TLC. Residents will decide whether to fund that expansion later this fall when they can vote on whether or not to approve a nearly half-billion-dollar bond.

“We’ve got a ballot measure for a bond that voters will get to decide if they would like to spend $475 million to help with the growth that’s happening in the schools,” Higgins said.