At 7:30 AM on Thursday, August 27th, the first daily bell rang throughout the busy halls of Staples High School, symbolizing the start of yet another school year.

Nervous whispers of freshmen echoed through the newly renovated cafeteria while senior girls blew pink whistles in the midst of signature boas and cheers.

By the time the 2:15 PM bell rang this afternoon, many students had positive thoughts on their first day back after summer vacation.

“I’m excited for senior year,” Dacotah Keating ’16 said. “It’s going to be a really good time.”

The special schedule for the first day of school includes visiting every period in each student’s schedule, a way for students to meet all of their teachers right off the bat.

“I have some really great teachers,” Jasmine Jex ’17 said. “I’m sure I’ll have a great year.”

Although upperclassmen navigate the halls of Staples as if they could rush to class blindfolded, the classic “Freshman U-turn” was visible around every corner today.

“It’s for sure harder to navigate than middle school,” Ryan Felner ’19 said. “But, I definitely feel more independent at Staples.”

Despite the fact that today marked the official beginning of hard work and time management for students, many members of faculty have been spending lots of time at Staples over the summer, preparing for the year.

“Once opening day happens, the pulse is back in the building,” vice principal Patrick Micinilio said. “I think things went smoothly, for the most part. There was a handful of freshmen who needed directions to their classes, and passing time between classes was pretty orderly. From an administrative end, it was smooth sailing today.”

After a smooth first day here at Staples High School, tomorrow’s schedule will return to normalcy with period three starting the first Friday of the 2015-2016 school year.