For students, being part of a new school meant designing the student council, instituting annual traditions during the school year, deciding on school colors, school cheers and events. It also meant major preparations for the first graduation, with the added responsibility of setting the tone for younger classmates by coming up with specific ideas that could set their school's event apart from others. And of course there were a few pitfalls -- like, in the case of Pan American International High School, discovering that if you order the yearbook in May, it won't be there on time for graduation day. Read More »

Systems have improved, but questions like how many phone calls, e-mails, offices, paper and electronic forms are involved in getting a person who has been offered a job onto the payroll affect schools' ability to be fully effective, said Mark Dunetz, principal of Academy for Careers in Television and Film in Queens, in this week's Principal's Office. Read More »