Alarm clocks rang earlier Tuesday morning than they did over the summer as students and parents began their back- to-school routines.
By 7:30 a.m. the halls of Herndon High School were empty except for a handful of late-comers, as the rest of the 2,300 students sat, some half-awake, in their first period classrooms.
Elementary school students waited eagerly at bus stops, their parents present with cameras to take pictures of the first day. Students attending Clearview Elementary were greeted by administrators and teachers ready to send them in the right direction of their classrooms, midst the hectic entryway of the school.
Herndon Elementary school's front doors were flooded with students, some with parents at their sides, ready to start their first day. Principal Carolyn Gannaway stood out front to welcome and direct students to their classrooms.
At Rachel Carson Middle School, student participated in afternoon team building activities that allowed them to cut loose while still learning. Students were separated by grade into small groups, making it easier for them to get to know one another and the teachers.