The beginning of the school year got off to a good start. Enrollment for the Vicksburg Warren School District had increased from 7,966 to 8,296 students.

“If the trend holds true to previous years, it usually goes up slightly as some students arrive on the first day of school that have not enrolled,” said Zena Keen personnel manager in the VWSD.

This year, the district will also see about 78 new faculty and administrators taking to the classrooms and schools this year.

“These 78 people are replacing staff that have either resigned or retired,” Keen said.

As for Vicksburg Catholic Schools, because of retirement and people moving, St. Francis Xavier will welcome five new teachers this year.

“It’s going to be an exciting year. Lots of new things, new faces, new events and new equipment coming in,” St. Francis Xavier Elementary School principal Mary Arledge said.

Pam Wilbanks, headmistress at Porters Chapel Academy, said enrollment in the school is holding about even compared to last year. At the end of the 2015-2016 school year PCA had 275 students, and as of Thursday 270 students were enrolled in the school.

“Enrollment is holding basically steady,” she said, and as with the other schools, the specific number of students they have enrolled changes daily.

More positives for Vicksburg:

• The Mississippi Boychoir is expanding to Vicksburg.

“I have lived and worked in Vicksburg for many years, so when we began talking about getting out into the rest of the state, Vicksburg seemed like the perfect place to begin our expansion, ” Nancy Robertson said.

Robertson will be serving as the local director for the Boychoir.

• Warren Central graduate and current Ms. Wheelchair Mississippi Lisa Ann Redd is on her way to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the 45th annual Ms. Wheelchair America competition. The pageant is set for Aug. 8 through 14 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, where 26 contestants will compete throughout the week.

• Nick Mekus shot 72 on Sunday, and 144 to win the 2016 Warren County Championship.

“It feels good,” said Mekus, who was also a two-time MHSAA Class 1A individual champion at St. Aloysius in 2011 and 2012.