Wake County's new choice-based student assignment plan is producing some unusual oddities for the 2012-13 school year that opens today with the return of year-round students.

As noted in today's article, Wake has 151,487 students registered for the new school year, 1,000 more than expected. But staff isn't certain how much of that growth is attributable to phantom students who were gaming the choice plan.

Another quirk of the choice plan is that Richland Creek Elementary School only has 34 students registered so far for its Aug. 27 opening. That's far fewer students than it would have opened with under the old base-school assignment plan.

The Wake County school system is now making a belated attempt to market the new Richland Creek Elementary School to families.

With the fate of the school's opening hanging on getting enough additional students to apply by June, an open house will be held Saturday at the DuBois Center modular campus site. Principal Tammie Sexton will talk with parents at 530 E. Perry Avenue in Wake Forest from 10 a.m. to noon.

Wake has also produced a YouTube video pitching Richland Creek with testimonials about how a modular school won't hurt students and could help.

A Douglas Elementary School teacher talks about how modulars makes no difference on learning. Two parents whose children were at DuBois when it was the modular campus for Forest Pines Elementary talk about the advantages of going to a small school and how families can help shape a new school's identity.

Can the Wake County school system attract enough applicants to open Richland Creek Elementary School in Wake Forest this year?

As noted in Sunday's North Raleigh News article by Chelsea Kellner, school officials said that Richland Creek needs at least 100 students to have a principal. The school had 46 applicants after round two.

The deadline for the school board to make a decision on Richland Creek for this year will be in June.

Wake County school leaders announced tonight the appointments and transfers of seven permanent and seven interim principals.

Scott Lyons was named principal of Enloe High in Raleigh with a salary of $99,666. He's been principal of Leesville Road High since 2009. He used to be an assistant principal at Enloe.

Christopher McCabe will be principal of Heritage Middle in Wake Forest with a salary of $93,303. He's been principal of North Forest Pines Drive Elementary since 2007.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS