SYCAMORE – When Sycamore School District 427 students arrive for the first day of school today, they may see their new superintendent. But Superintendent Kathy Countryman is no stranger to Sycamore or the district.

Countryman has worked for the district in various capacities since 2000. Both of her children are Sycamore alumni, she said, and her grandson completed kindergarten at North Grove Elementary last year.

With the retirement last spring of former superintendent Wayne Riesen, Countryman takes over a school district that covers more than 80 square miles and teaches about 3,800 students in seven schools.