LEWISTON — Standing before 450 teachers, some tanned and wearing shorts, Superintendent Bill Webster welcomed them back Thursday.

Summer is over. Schools will open Monday in Lewiston-Auburn, if Hurricane Irene allows. This is an exciting time, Webster said.

“One author called the beginning of the school year a second New Year’s for teachers,” a time to reflect and adopt new resolutions, he said.

Webster, who last year was superintendent of Ellsworth-area schools, said his decision to come to Lewiston has been reinforced by the city itself, and “you, the teachers.”

He visited Lewiston classrooms last winter and spring and was struck by teachers who cared about students and were committed to their profession.

“Boy, do our students need you,” Webster said, adding that teachers aren’t recognized enough.

He asked those who have 25 years or more of service to Lewiston students to stand. As those teachers rose, they were applauded. “Your wisdom and guidance has been so instrumental to the success in Lewiston,” Webster said.

He asked teachers who’ve taught Lewiston students for 10 to 24 years to stand, and thanked them for their leadership and mentoring of others.

Teachers who had one to nine years in Lewiston were called an exciting group that have had challenges and opportunities as the student population has grown. “Thank you for all you bring to Lewiston,” Webster said.

When the new teachers stood, Webster told them they had joined a very good school district. He pledged to do all he could to help them grow and said he hoped they would remain in Lewiston for years.

As to the city, Webster said, “I was not prepared to find what I did in Lewiston. There’s a vitality here, a sense of living history that we can bring into our classrooms almost every day.”

The living history includes canals built to power the mills in the 1800s, mill buildings converted to thriving restaurants. “We have a brewery, a public theater, a great chorale,” he said.

Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce President Chip Morrison gave a presentation on how L-A has become more dynamic in recent years. He asked teachers to pass on that message to students.

Webster told teachers that together, they’ll turn a good school system into a great one, that they’re worth more than what they’re paid. He encouraged them to stay enthused about “what our students bring to us. There is so much joy in our craft. Never lose it. This is a wonderful place to be.”

One of the teachers listening was Montello Elementary fourth-grade teacher Linda Adkins, who said Webster’s talk was helpful and “energizing.”

Adkins said she was excited about the start of school. “I always look forward to getting to know more, new kids,” she said.

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