8-7-26 Morning Bell PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Plainfield Community Schools students returned to classrooms Wednesday to start a school year focused on new career pathways for the district’s youngest students. Superintendent Andy Allen joined the “Daybreak” program for the “Morning Bell” series Friday morning at the WISH-TV studio. He reported a successful opening for the district and said transportation and classroom activities began without issues. Students and staff spent the first week of school getting back into routines. “Our mission statement is bringing joy to learning,” Allen said. “That’s not just for our kids, that’s for our adults too and including our parents.” Allen said teachers and administrators focused on creating a welcoming environment for the first day while students dealt with the typical nerves of finding lockers and classes. “We have a goal every day to simply just have school,” Allen said. “And we did on the first on Wednesday. And we replicated that yesterday. And I’m confident we’ll do the same today.” The superintendent urged parents to help students get back into routines at home. He said preparation for a successful school day often begins with proper rest and nutrition the night before. A major change for the new school year is the start of the statewide bell-to-bell cell phone ban. While the policy already existed for elementary and middle school students, the district now applies the ban through the high school level. Allen described the transition as smooth and credited principals for telling families about the new standards. The district is also promoting a “preschool to career” learning path that begins with the district’s youngest students and extends to the workforce center, MADE@Plainfield. This curriculum focuses on four core values: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Allen said teachers introduce these skills to the youngest students to build a foundation for their future professional lives. “Our goal is for every one of our high school students by the time they cross that stage to have a diploma and something tangible to take with them such as a credential of value, the Indiana College Corps, something relevant to what they want to do next,” Allen said. The district aims to provide students with opportunities to explore different career interests throughout their school experience. This focus on career readiness happened at the same time as the opening of a new local medical facility, which held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday in Plainfield. Allen said such developments highlight the career and professional opportunities available to students and teachers within the community. This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness. ...read more read less