First day for Warren students, new superintendent

The new school year began Friday at Warren Township High School, where students swarmed off buses and filled the hallways early at the O'Plaine Road campus.

It was also the first day of classes for District 121's new Superintendent John Ahlgrim, who replaces Mary Petty Bates who retired.

Ahlgrim was previously superintendent of Zion Elementary District 6, and before that he served as Mundelein High School's principal.

"I'm really excited to be working with high school students again," Ahlgrim said. "We are undergoing a strategic plan this fall which hopefully will help us get some direction in moving Warren foreword in the next handful of years."

Warren's enrollment has decreased a little bit recently at the district's two campuses, Ahlgrim said, and stands at around 4,200 students.

"Although there's 4,200 students in the district, we have the opportunity to make it feel that each student feels like Warren is their Warren," he said.