Just two hours of school for John Jay upperclassmen wasn't tough to take on opening day, said Benny Goldman, who began his junior year Tuesday with a shortened schedule.

"The first day of school was a nice transition from summer—with ten minutes to meet each teacher, it was a great way to ease into the "grind" of the school year," he said.

The new year in Katonah-Lewisboro schools got off to a mostly smooth start, with on-time arrivals, excited students pouring into schools, and spruced-up schools throughout the district.

The revised transportation system worked smoothly in the morning but experienced a 30-minute delay in the afternoon. The late buses prompted a 4 p.m. phone message to all district elementary families from Carol Ann Lee, assistant superintendent for human resources.

The afternoon kinks should be fixed by next week, said Jim Minihan, Supervisor of Transportation. "We are learning to cycle through the dismissals. But this will smooth out next week when we have a couple of consecutive school days," he said.

"Learn, Care, Lead"

At John Jay Middle School, faculty arrived around 6:30 a.m. in anticipation of opening day. Rich LePrine, principal, said the faculty and students were more excited than anxious to return to school.

"The students have shared with the staff how excited they are to be back," LePrine said. "They still have the first day of school butterflies, but that's normal."

Both 7th and 8th graders reported directly to "team time" where they ran through shortened schedules, then gathered for a school-wide assembly that set the tone for the school year; then they all cleared out to give incoming 6th graders time to adjust to the middle school setting.

By meeting with the newest middle schoolers in the gym and escorting them directly to their team time, the faculty put the students at ease, said LePrine. 

"Our role is to make them comfortable and make sure they go home feeling good," he said. "If every child can go home happy, having had a great first day, we met our goal."

The school's theme "Learn, Care, Lead," is to be carried out through programs and instruction, by challenging students academically, fostering positive relationships between all faculty and students leading JJMS into the 21st century, LePrine said.

New freedoms, challenges

Across the way, John Jay High School was a different scene. Cars whizzed past the main entrance to the building with excited students blasting music on the sunny morning. Many drove themselves to school in cars painted with messages celebrating their final year of high school.

Juniors and seniors filed the necessary forms for parking permits and the freedom to leave campus for the Cross River plaza for lunch. Some were already asking questions about college admissions, said Ellen Doherty, high school principal.

Freshmen had the school to themselves for a program beginning at 12 p.m. designed to familiarize themselves with high without the intimidation of upperclassmen.

Doherty said what excites her most about the first day of school is seeing the students again.

"I enjoy this job immensely," she said. "You never know what the day is going to be like when you park your car."

Elementary school beginnings

At Katonah Elementary School, parents, children and teachers gathered outside for a heartfelt send off.

Principal Johnathan Kaplan was optimistic about the scheduling changes. He described the new transportation schedule as "not chaotic at all."

Kaplan described the school atmosphere as optimistic and upbeat.

"Usually kids run home from school," Kaplan said. "At KES, kids run to school because they're so happy and everyone is so open and positive.

There were more than new faces throughout the district—campus improvements included newly paved parking lots at the middle school, Lewisboro Elementary and Katonah Elementary; track repairs and a refurbished gym at the high school; lighting improvements at Increase Miller and Meadow Pond and routine cleaning and maintenance throughout the district.

That breezy first-day feeling won't last long though, said Goldman.

"Reality hit when I realized how difficult it would be to maintain my average while taking four AP/Honors classes. It is one thing to talk about the year ahead with your guidance counselor and parents, but it is another thing to face the effort and work that is going to be put in to survive junior year," he said.