NATCHEZ &8212; Speaker Willie J. Kimmons had simple truths for the 500-plus teachers and educators at Wednesday morning&8217;s annual convocation for the new school year.

Schools need parents. Children are different now than they used to be. And discipline is key, he said.

Kimmons, a Mississippi native has written several books, worked as a college chancellor, professor and now as a motivational speaker. Each year the Natchez-Adams School District school board, administrators, teachers and staff come together for convocation to prepare for the coming year.

Kimmons told the crowd that it takes parent-teacher partnerships to educate a child.

&8220;You have to have a parental involvement on a consistent basis,&8221; he said. &8220;The more parental involvement you have the more you are going to enhance student achievement.&8221;

Kimmons showed a video of another school that celebrates the first day of school by making it a family affair. Parents are invited to attend for the day, starting the year off on the right foot, the video said.

Teachers need to establish links with parents now, Kimmons said, by starting with a welcome letter and following up with phone calls home or even visits to those hard to reach parents.

&8220;You have been chosen,&8221; he told the teachers. &8220;You have in your hands the future leaders of tomorrow. You have to wear a lot of hats. You have to be the teacher, the parent, the grandparent. You have a moral, professional and personal obligation to teach our best and our brightest.&8221;

Kimmons told teachers to understand who they are teaching, to know the situation and to always be a positive voice.

&8220;We were once children not that long ago and someone invested in us,&8221; he said. &8220;That&8217;s why we are here today.&8221;

Kimmons encouraged the teachers to find each student&8217;s niche and build them up in that area.

Teachers are back in the schools this week. School starts Monday for students.

The district also introduced 24 new teachers and staff. Dan Hogan has joined the central office staff as Child Nutrition coordinator. He replaces Betty LaBorde.

Tony Fields will be the assistant principal at Frazier Primary School. Larry Hooper will be an assistant principal at Robert Lewis Middle.

Former RLMS assistant Edward Reed has moved to Natchez High. And Vera Dunmore has moved to McLaurin Elementary as assistant.