As teachers head back to class a week before school starts, the Beaumont Independent School District had its annual convocation where the superintendent's torch was passed from the retiring Dr. Carrol Thomas to his replacement Dr. Timothy Chargois.
With long lines of traffic and busloads of teachers, Ozen high school filled up fast for this year's convocation.
"It's overwhelming, at the same time it's exciting," said first year teacher Edna Hornsby who is sad to see administration change but looks forward to the future with the new superintendent.
"I like his ideas. I like his strategies and that too, I think he's going to be fair to and good for us and our community as well," she said.
Before Dr. Chargois took the stage retiring Superintendent Dr. Thomas spoke about the results of his term with the district.
"You've got to be proud of the performances of the kids, got to be [proud of the] performance of the staff. I feel good about leaving the district with money."
After applause erupted as Dr. Thomas spoke of being able to balance the budget with out any teacher lay-offs and completely renovating several schools, Dr. Chargois talked about his plans for the future.
He said teachers need to, "define our purpose which is to make sure every single student in this school district graduates. We've got to face the truth because there's some obstacles that we have to go through."
Hornsby hopes new management will bring a better sense of teamwork this year.
"I hope that I walk away with a sense of encouragement and a sense of support."
And that's exactly what Dr. Chargois is putting an emphasis on.
"Individually I cannot accomplish everything but together as a team, collectively, we will change the lives of our children in this community," said Dr. Chargois.
The new superintendent believes a solid foundation has been laid for the success he's working towards.
Prior to the convocation, BISD held the annual wellness fair where employees could ask questions about the district's insurance program, receive vision and hearing screenings and get a blood pressure checkup.
