Thursday was the first day of classes for NYC public school students, and it was marked with frowns and solemn moods as kiddos across the Big Apple bid farewell to summer 2024.
Ok, maybe a few youngsters donned smiles, too.
With the sun shining and the air crisp, school buses took to the streets. Crossing guards readied their ‘STOP’ signs. Parents, many in a rush to get to work, dropped off their little learners. Teachers began assigning homework, doled out assignments, and started a fresh year of learning, all with some fun times, likely, too.
And with backpacks in tow, the guests of honor — students of all ages — flooded school hallways, reconnected with friends with prospects of making new ones.
Christine Riggio, a mom from Staten Island, said her daughters had mixed feelings about heading back to class Thursday morning.
“My twins are excited for fifth grade and sad at the same time,” she said. “This will be the last year all together with their friends.”
Diana Maria Nolan’s daughter, was sad about going back to school, but the Staten Island mom said she was happy school is back in session.
“My daughter was not too thrilled,” Nolan said. “She started seventh grade and is sad the summer is over. But I’m happy that she went back. It gives something to do during the day that has purpose, spend some time with her peers and hopefully have some fun.”
Nolan added that it would be “nice to have a routine and structured day.”
But some kids were all smiles. NYC mom Gessica DiPaolo’s daughter was “stoked” to see all her friends who were starting together at a new school.
“My fourth grader started at Catholic school for the first time today. She was so excited!,” the mom exclaimed. “She wasn’t sad. She was stoked to see all her cheer friends that go to her new school. It was a great morning for us.”
Glitches on the first day
Of course, it was not only the back-to-school blues that put a damper on some parents and students this morning.
One dad said his daughter was excited to start the new school year, but waited over an hour for the school bus to arrive at their Staten Island stop.
“We got to the bus stop at 6:30, waited to 7:30,” he said. “No bus. I called the bus company and was told ‘it’s the first day of school, what do you expect.'”
Tony Carrion, a father from NYC expressed concern over school shooting, just a day after a horrific school shooting occurred in Georgia.
“The truth is that as a father, I am even afraid that my daughters will go to school with all this that is happening in schools with shootings, they are no longer so safe, that is my point of view,” Carrion said.
Other parents — and nonparents — noted the annual back-to-school traffic jams are back in season.
“First day of high school, and the nerves were high last night,” Debra Altman, a NYC mom said. “This morning’s traffic was horrendous, but we made it.”
Altman said her daughter is excited to be out of junior high and have a fresh start at a new school.
“This is when they begin to truly shine and blossom into young adults,” she said.
Meanwhile, Altman was sure to do a little self care to deal with any parent-related new-school-year jitters.
“I went to yoga to give myself some much needed respite and self care,” she said. “I recommend it.”
