Back in school: Writing for the back-to-school issue used to be a snap. Cherry-pick a few new teachers and ask them what it's like to be starting a new career/adventure.

Nowadays, brand-new teachers are a rare breed in cash-strapped and often shrinking school districts.

And, though I digress, every district seems to start on a different day. Heck, my Elk Grove sixth-grader, Matthew, went back to his year-round school in July and now is off again for a month. Folsom Cordova opened last week, San Juan Unified started up Monday, and some foothill schools opened Tuesday.

I think school should start after Labor Day, but nobody asked me.

In any event, this is the year, or at least the column, of the principal. …

Moving up: A year ago, Peter Maroon and Kathryn Allaman were vice principals together at Folsom High School. Now, Kathryn has the top job at the high school, and Peter is principal at Mills Middle School in Rancho Cordova.

After opening day on Aug. 11, they were together again. In words, anyway.

Question: How was Day One?

Kathryn: "Day One was awesome. … It all came together today."

Peter: "Day One was awesome. … We did a lot of planning over the summer, and it all worked out."

I wonder if they spoke in unison last year, too?

Peter said the spirit at Mills, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was amazing long before school started.

For example, he said, three of the six teachers he hired for this term were social science teachers. Before teachers were even required to report to campus, he said, holdover social science teacher Scott Meyer contacted his new colleagues, took them to lunch and showed them around town.

Peter said being a school administrator lets him help more youngsters than he could as a teacher.

"As a teacher, you might have contact with 175 kids a day," he said. "This is an opportunity to have an impact on many more, both directly and through the people we get to hire."

And after Day One, he said, "I still want to be a principal."

So far, so good.

Kathryn, meanwhile, said the best part of opening day was seeing teachers and students reconnect.

"It's an incredible experience to work with such a great group of staff, teachers, students and members of the community," she said.

An educator since 1979, Kathryn taught math and later spent two years as vice principal at Center High School before moving to Folsom in 2005.

She said Day One presented few surprises.

"I thought we would have more traffic congestion," she said. "That was a nice surprise. Hardly anybody got lost, and only a few missed the bus.

"It was a great day. If you like working in education, every day is a great day." …

Happy commuter: Farther up the hill – a lot farther – new Golden Sierra High Principal Katie Nemer might have the most interesting résumé in the foothill hamlet of Garden Valley.

Originally from Sacramento, Katie has taught school in three countries (here, Mexico and Venezuela) and worked in four (add Canada). She also has been an administrator at California Montessori Schools in Sacramento, vice principal at Natomas High School and Smedberg Middle School in Elk Grove and principal at McClellan and Center high schools. She even spent 10 years in the private sector, teaching communications courses for businesses.

And she is thrilled to have landed in Garden Valley.

After her Montessori job was "dissolved," Katie said, she fell in love with Golden Sierra.

Even a week before school opened, she said, it was easy to see the great connection between the school, its community and parents.

Katie also loves the size of the school, with its 680ish students. Almost all of her schools have had 1,600 students or more.

"Here, I will actually get to know everyone," she said. "It might take a while, but I will."

She even loves the commute from her home in Orangevale.

"I am going completely against the traffic," she said. "On the way, I have time to work out plans for the day. On the way home, I have time to unwind."

Not surprisingly, she was eager for opening day.

"This place has an amazing staff," she said. "People who have been here for 20 years are just as excited as if it was their first day."

Same goes for the new boss.

Cheers.

Call The Bee's Bob Walter, (916) 608-7448. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/walter.