By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
Come next week, we’ll have a hectic start to another school year. It always is.
The influx already has begun, with graduate students and off-campus dwellers the first to arrive. Also returning are late-summer vacationers with school-age children.
Classes for Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County schools start Aug. 25 and the university welcomes back returning students starting next Wednesday with the beginning of the annual Week of Welcome (WOW), which includes more than 100 on-campus events.
Meanwhile, Chapel Hill Transit is preparing to switch over to a new schedule reflecting several route changes to handle more student ridership as well as several changes made during the last budget cycle to improve the bottom line.
And Chapel Hill Police are preparing for the return of students as well with a discussion with bar owners scheduled for today (Thursday) about alcohol enforcement. Close to two dozen citations have been issued for serving underage customers over the past month in a joint CHPD and ALE crackdown
Police officers and community volunteers also will go door to door on Aug. 23 as part of a town-gown sponsored Good Neighbor Initiative designed to build greater ties and respect between students and their neighbors.
Key dates and schedules to keep in mind are:
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools:
• Aug. 17-24 – Teacher workdays
• Aug. 25 – First day of school for grades 1-12
• Aug. 25-26 – Kindergarten orientation
• Aug. 27 – First day of kindergarten
• Sept. 6 – Labor Day Holiday
Note that school bus schedules change frequently during the month of August. Visit the district’s website at chccs.k12.nc.us for up-to-date schedules. Schools also post printed copies of their schedules.
Orange County Schools
• Aug. 25 – First day of school
• Sept. 6 – Labor Day Holiday
Visit orange.k12.nc.us for more information.
UNC:
• Aug. 18 – Residence halls open for returning students
• Aug. 20-21 – First year students move in
• Aug. 23 – Good Neighbor Initiative
• Aug. 24 – Classes begin
• Sept. 4 – First football game (LSU in Atlanta)
• Sept. 18 – First home game (Ga. Tech)
Chapel Hill Transit:
Bus routes and schedules will change starting Aug. 23. New schedules will be available online and in printed form on Monday. Major changes include:
• F Route – the first two a.m. trips will begin at 6:20 and 6:55 at McDougle School instead of Weaver Street Market;
• M Route – the route will be discontinued;
• V Route – will no longer serve Stadium Drive and Ridge Road. The route will continue from the Student Union on South Road to Pittsboro Street to Manning Drive; and
• DM Route – the Saturday DM route will be renamed the Saturday D and will no longer serve the Chapel Hill Public Library and Pine Knolls.