Day One Down

The more than 6,000 students and teachers across Livingston can breathe a sigh of relief.  The first day of school is over and by many accounts, it went off without a hitch.

"Everything went smoothly," said Harrison Elementary School principal Cynthia Healy, who estimates that 500 parents stopped by the school in the morning to see their children off.  For kindergartners, it was a momentous occasion; today marked their first day as students in the district.

"We had a couple of little criers," said Principal Healy, who noted this is normal for children.  The first day back can be a teary occasion for parents, too.  In fact, the day can be harder for adults, who have to let their children go.  To ease the transition,  the school had a coffee for kindergarten parents.

At the high school, returning students resumed where they left off in June.  Or at least tried to.

"It was very exhausting," said senior Nicolle Luftman after school.  "I wasn't used to getting up so early," she said, noting she had plenty of slumber during the summer.   Classes started at 7:55 a.m. this morning.

Frank Luo, also a senior, got to school early (to get a parking spot, he said) and he plans to burn the midnight oil tonight.

"I probably have enough homework to keep me up until 1 a.m.," he said.  

For him, Back to School means getting back to business.