Chelan students return to campus for first day of school

CHELAN — For Chelan freshmen, the first day of high school came with at least one final instruction before walking through the doors on the morning of September 1: Kiss your mom goodbye.

A group of older students greeted arriving classmates outside Chelan Middle and High School, including one carrying a handmade sign reminding freshmen not to skip the traditional farewell. Nearby, students took pictures as cars unloaded another school year's worth of backpacks and teenagers.

Some freshmen needed little encouragement. At least one stopped to give Mom a kiss before heading toward the school.

Others made the walk from Woodin Avenue, where crossing guards helped students through morning traffic before they joined classmates gathering around the combined middle and high school campus.

Inside the entrance, Associate Principal and Career and Technical Education Director Scott Granger and the school's resource officer were among those watching the steady flow of students arrive for the first day of the 2026-27 school year.

The morning carried a different significance for Chelan's seniors.

Students had created a large “26 to 27” picture frame for members of the Class of 2027, giving seniors a place to pose with friends and commemorate the beginning of their final year at Chelan High School.

Students returned to a campus where the coming year brings changes and high expectations both inside and outside the classroom.

The shared middle and high school commons is set for improvements supported through a Healthy Kids-Healthy Schools grant, while career and technical education remains among the areas the district has identified for continued investment.

Chelan athletes also returned with one particularly difficult act to follow. The Lady Goats volleyball team enters the school year as six-time defending Class 1A state champions after winning its sixth consecutive title in 2025.

The football program, meanwhile, begins a new chapter under head coach Mike Stevens.

But before practices, games, assignments and the routines of another school year could settle in, Tuesday morning was about arrivals.

Cars lined up through the school parking lot. Crossing guards watched Woodin Avenue. Friends reunited after summer and students filtered through the open doors, where staff waited to welcome them.

For freshmen, it was the beginning of four years at Chelan High School. For seniors, it was the beginning of one last one.

And somewhere between the two, apparently, there was still time to kiss Mom goodbye.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media