Yellow buses and an increase in traffic may have been a common theme for Gainesville commuters Monday morning, as school returned to session in Alachua County. 

Excitement and first-day jitters could be felt at campuses across the county, as students of all ages reunited with familiar faces and began the process of easing their way back into a school routine following summer break. 

That eagerness filled the air at Kimbell Wiles Elementary School even before daybreak Monday morning. 

Cars littered the school parking lot before 7 a.m. and children, many with backpacks strapped to their backs, walked alongside their parents to the front of the school.  

By 7:15 a.m., a long line had formed on the sidewalk, as kindergarten through second-grade families waited at the gate to be let into the classrooms. While students carried their backpacks, some parents could be seen holding plastic bags filled with school supplies for their children. 

Once allowed inside, parents went to their child’s respective classroom based on grade level, where they had a chance to help the student get settled in at his or her desk before saying goodbye. 

Alina West crouched down next to her daughter, Remi West, as she colored in a back-to-school coloring page. Remi, 6, is a first grader at Wiles Elementary this year. 

“We’re excited,” Alina said when asked about the first day of school, adding that Remi was starting to get a little bored toward the end of summer. 

Over in the kindergarten section, Jeff Rifenberg was also helping get his daughter, Olivia Rifenberg, 5, settled in, clipping her nametag to her shirt.  

Jeff said he was both “nervous and excited” about Olivia starting kindergarten. 

Rolling out the red carpet 

Keeping with the first day of school festivities, students at Kanapaha Middle School were given “the red-carpet treatment” on Monday morning. 

When they arrived on campus, students had the chance to walk down a red carpet set up in front of the school. 

Students were greeted at the red carpet by Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) Interim Superintendent Dr. Kamala Patton and Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott. They were also joined by Capt. Chris Sims, a public information officer with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). 

“I think it’s very important that they see law enforcement first,” Scott said in an interview with Mainstreet. “That we’re here to protect them [and] to make sure they’re safe while they’re at school.” 

Patton was the mastermind behind the red carpet.  

“I think the kids are our celebrities,” she said when asked what inspired the red-carpet idea. “On the first day, they [the students] all look like a million bucks. It’s a big moment.”  

Because of the difference in start times, Patton said they were also able to do a red carpet at Littlewood Elementary School as well. 

In addition to the red carpet, students and families had the opportunity to get their picture taken by ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson behind a school-specific backdrop.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News.