BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Staff Writer
The first day of school for the 2023-24 school year at Lake Butler Elementary School began with usual expressions of trepidation, uneasiness and flat out excitement on the parts of both the children and their family members. By 7:30 a.m. last Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, about 250 people were in line to get their kids checked in and handed over to their new teachers to begin their first day.
The line moved slowly, but the temperature had not yet risen to extreme numbers so the heat proved little problem. Children moved on to their classrooms, clutching their backpacks full of supplies and parents walked to their vehicles to travel to work or home. Parents, chatting with each other as they walked, exchanged comments such as, “I have been waiting for this day for years,” to a more plaintive, “the house will be so empty.” In contrast, the children said little as they walked to class, instead looking around with wide eyes at the learning environment some were exploring for the first time.
