DesotoExplorer.com

The hallways are quiet and the classrooms are empty, but the principals are still in school.

So what do they do when the students aren't around?

A lot of paperwork.

"All of us at all levels have our state reports," said Lexington Trails Middle School Principal Steve Ludwig. "We have to make sure that everything is accurate and ready to be submitted or submitted."

De Soto High School Principal Dave Morford said it's a time to wrap up and prepare for the next school year.

"This is when you change your teacher list and address list and all the things regarding the new staff coming in," he said.

Pam Hargrove, principal at Mize Elementary School, said with the students and teachers out of the building, she is busy getting things done.

"Right now I'm ordering some new classroom library books and having a fun time picking out things I think the kids will like," she said.

Ludwig said he also was able to get more work done, not that he doesn't miss his students or teachers being around.

"You just don't have all of the people coming in asking questions," he said. "You don't have the e-mail and constant calls and all those sort of things."

And while De Soto High's hallways are quieter than usual, there still is some activity, with summer conditioning, driver's education and facilities projects.

"We're getting new carpet in the building and we're getting some end bleachers on the north side," Morford said of the facilities projects.

Plus, Morford predicts he will spend some time developing the plans for the bond resolution that the De Soto board of education will finalize next month. The board June 2, approved expanding De Soto High School to 1,000 students on its bond issue it plans to put before voters at the Nov. 4 general election.

"I've spent a lot of time with the facilities director and the architect already and also with my staff as far as what the needs are so that they could even do the presentation (of the projects)," Morford said. "Then we will get into more finite things with the architect."

All three principals get to start their summer break in July before having to report back in August.

While Morford normally plans a trip during his time off to visit his children who live across Kansas, he is going to take it easy this year as his wife recently had a surgery.

"Hopefully the kids will come up to visit," he said.

Hargrove said she will be busy spending time with her children.

"I follow my kids around to all of their sporting events," she said. "Also, I'm going to Colorado and St. Louis."

Ludwig said he and his wife like riding motorcycles so they are taking a motorcycle trip Colorado or Wisconsin.

"My wife had her motorcycle back when she was in college and then I got into them later," he said. "We got rid of them when we had kids because they weren't very practical to haul kids around."

But after 25 years, Ludwig is riding again.