As we fly through August, families and students of the Solon Community School District are preparing to enter another school year, but with the start of the new semester quickly approaching comes changes to school buildings, calendars, priorities, and more.
Josh Lyons, Solon’s Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning going into his 24th year with the district, details what many can expect as they head back to school.
Third grade changes buildings
Solon’s third graders will enter the school year in a completely different building as the entire grade shifts from their original home of Lakeview Elementary to Solon Intermediate School (SIS).
The move comes as the long-anticipated SIS addition has been completed, adding new classrooms and more space, rendering the building a dedicated third through fifth grade center.
Lyons explains that with this change comes more breathing room for district buildings and, in turn, a better experience for Solon students.
The building shift will add roughly 100 more students to SIS, making it home to over 300.
“The main reason was space,” said Lyons. “As Solon continues to grow, we need to make sure we have space available across the district to accommodate future growth and position our facilities for future success.”
Third grade’s former home of Lakeview Elementary will also receive major renovations in the future, including an HVAC upgrade and what was described as a complete facelift.
A revamp to the calendar
Due to Iowa law that mandates that school districts cannot start their school year before August 23, the Solon Community School District has shifted their calendar schedule.
First semester start date will now be Monday, August 25, while the end of the semester will occur following winter break, a change Lyons said is less than ideal but necessary considering the state law.
“Because of the later start date, the first semester would have been significantly shorter than the second,” said Lyons. “Moving finals after winter break was the only way to balance it out.”
Given the change, students will experience a longer winter break, returning to finish finals and first semester classes after a full two weeks off, a gap that is the longest in recent memory.
“We hope that state lawmakers will revisit the later start mandate in the future to give districts more flexibility,” said Lyons.
Career exploration opportunities
While there are no major curriculum changes for the 2025-26 school year, the district is currently increasing their focus on student growth beyond school.
At the high school level, student connections to desired career fields will be emphasized and more accessible, with offered programs including job shadows, internships, apprenticeships, and chances for more outside field experiences.
According to Lyons, these opportunities are crucial for students to learn to be able to take on life outside of Solon schools and become more connected with real-world experiences.
Last year, given the district’s heavier focus on career exploration, one student completed a healthcare apprenticeship that covered most of the requirements for her associate’s degree prior to even walking across the graduation stage.
“The opportunities we have been providing have given a window or a doorway to possibilities for students to be able to succeed,” said Lyons.
Not just high schoolers are given opportunities by the district, though, as Solon’s younger grades are also encouraged to look into their own desired path.
“This year, fifth and sixth grade will be required to have some sort of career exploration course or class, which really is in line with our vision for future preparedness in the district,” said Lyons.
For middle schoolers, using the Xello platform has been a large part of this career advancement initiative.
With Xello, a software intended to help students with career readiness, middle school students take personality and career tests to examine where their interests lie and have a better understanding of what classes and paths to choose in the future.
Solon’s growing emphasis on where, what, and how students of all ages can advance their own career paths has been a strategy taken that shows increasing promise, and with this year’s better understanding of how to do so, Lyons describes that the district’s positioning on their students is readying them for what’s next.
Mental health and student wellness priorities expand
The district is providing larger focus on student mental health and wellness support after recognizing the growing need for resources in schools.
Starting this fall, every school building in the district will include its own student counselor, a switch from the two shared ones from previous years.
“As we’ve grown to understand the needs of our students and families, we identified the need for additional counselors in order to truly help them,” said Lyons. “They will help make connections with our school-based therapist to support families who may not have the means to take their child to therapy outside of school.”
Along with the addition of readily available mental health resources, schools will be hosting guest speakers and organizations to talk to students about their experiences and provide help to those who need it.
The organization Chains Interrupted will be speaking to seventh through tenth graders about topics like human trafficking, healthy relationships, and online safety. In September, a national speaker from the feature documentary My Ascension will visit Solon to share their personal story of mental health issues and recovery after attempting suicide.
“These programs, along with the daily access to counselors, are about making sure every student knows there’s someone they can turn to,” said Lyons. “We’re building skills and resources so our kids can be healthy and successful both in and out of school.”