A slow-moving 7:15 a.m. traffic jam returned to Whittier Boulevard as Whitman parents dropped students off at school and seniors crawled toward the student parking lot.
Incoming Whitman senior Ben Weingartner said it was just another day; incoming Whitman sophomore Carlena Schwedhelm said she felt “miserable” to be back at school.
The scene at Churchill was similar, with parents and buses vying for space in the race to drop off students before the bells rang. “I’m excited. I can’t believe it’s finally here,” said Liz Alfandre, 16 as she walked across the lawn to the school.
Some students at Hoover Middle school were just as excited. “It’s good to be back, as much fun as summer is, you run out of things to do,” said Danny Daly, 13.
Others were not so happy with the start of the new year. “I don’t like it, but I know I have to be here,” said James Edward, almost 13.
At Bells Mill, 4th-graders Mike Vorontsov, George Chen and Victor Carvahal were accustomed to the first-day-of-school routine. None of them felt nervous being back.
“The only thing that scares me is this wasp that keeps buzzing around here every year,” said Carvahal, who was keeping an eye out for the familiar pest.
Insects were the only complaint of Chris Whigham, who enters his first year as a special education assistant at Cabin John Middle school. “The bugs are killing me,” Whigham said as he stood outside the school, greeting at students and swatting at insects. “It’s the first day of school, and I think we’ve got an interesting bunch of kids to work with.”
Shohreh Salimi dropped off her son, Cabin John 6th-grader Pash Salimi, on his first day of middle school.
“He was so nervous. He didn’t know where to go and if some of his friends from Bells Mill will be in his class,” Salimi said. “I feel for him; it’s like that first day at work. … But I’m sure he’ll do well.”
Some of the first students to arrive at Beverly Farms Elementary were anxious to start.
“I’ve never been in the second grade before. I’m a little nervous, but I’m a little happy,” said Daniel Dorfman, 7-and-a-half.