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�We are just short of space� Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell It�s a full house in Tom Shope�s U.S. history class � and many other classes at Crater High this fall. Coping with a bulging student body is the responsibility of new Principal Karyn Lynch. Crater High School�s new principal confronts old problem By Vicki Guarino CENTRAL POINT � This fall, Crater High School has a new principal, but the same old problem. So Karyn Lynch began her term at the helm wedging as many Crater students as she could into too few classrooms. By the end of the first week of school, Lynch and counselors had managed to get rid of class waiting lists, which had been routine for freshmen. This year, all 440 freshmen � the largest incoming class ever � are seated in their required classes. Crater hasn�t been able to do that for the last two years because the community has outgrown its high school. But space is more cramped than ever now. By Friday, 1,550 students were enrolled, up 50 from last June. With one additional teacher this year, and some schedule changes, Crater is accommodating everyone, but barely. What Lynch really needs right now is something only the community can give � the money for more classrooms. Voters are deciding a $29.8 million bond measure to rebuild and enlarge several district schools. The election that ends Sept. 19 could give Crater 10 new classrooms, plus a greenhouse and an auditorium. Lynch considers passage of the bond measure so necessary to Crater that she talks about "when" the bond measure passes, not "if.�� "Right now, our drama and music students don�t have a place to perform," she says. "We are just short of space.�� Lynch comes to Crater with memories of a much less crowded school. She grew up in Central Point, and graduated from Crater in 1967. It was a school with fewer than 1,000 students back then. At the time, Lynch knew she wanted to go into education. She didn�t expect to find herself in the principal�s office, however. She began her career teaching health and physical education at what then was called Scenic Junior High. She says she was so happy teaching that when an administrator suggested she go into administration she hesitated. Eventually, however, Lynch became principal of Jewett Elementary, another of the district schools struggling with overcrowding. While at Jewett, Lynch initiated a mentoring program with Crater students. Jewett youngsters boarded a bus to Crater after school to meet with their teen mentors. The sessions mixed academics with games . Lynch�s goal was to improve reading skills. The program ended after one year, when grant funding ran out. It was too little time to prove the program�s effectiveness. But Lynch is certain the program made students more enthusiastic about school. "They did not miss school those days when they knew they were riding that bus over to Crater," Lynch recalls. With the retirement last spring of longtime Crater Principal Ron Williams, Lynch jumped at the chance to take his place. "Crater feels like home," she says. And she enjoys working with teenagers. "It�s my favorite age group. I think they energize me. I look forward to coming to work every day," Lynch says. "We have wonderful kids. But I think everybody can say that. Most kids are really good.�� They�re different, however, from the kids Lynch shared lunch with back in the 1960s. "I don�t think kids were quite as assertive as they are now. "But I don�t mean that in a bad way. I think it�s good that kids question. I think that�s a big part of learning, of understanding. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA