"I'm pretty emotional," Brandi Moore said as she prepared to take her son, Van Moore, into his first day of kindergarten at Qulin Elementary. "That's my baby!"
Van looked around the parking lot wide-eyed as students began to file into the school. Brandi said he was excited about his first day and added father, Robby Moore, was handling the milestone day "fine."
"We read over the rules with him this morning," Brandi said before arriving at the elementary school.
After taking Van to his classroom, Brandi exited the building with tears in her eyes.
Qulin Principal Seth McBroom and Speech Pathologist Nancy Morse assured Brandi they would take good care of her son as she received hugs from others in the parking lot before leaving.
McBroom started the day at the elementary school to make sure everyone got where they were going without any issues.
After greeting the kindergarten through fourth grade students, McBroom headed to the middle school to officially start the 2017-18 school year.
According to McBroom, he expected enrollment numbers at Qulin to be up a bit at this time.
"We enrolled 35 students over the summer," he said. "I'm not sure how many students transferred, but I still expect numbers to be up."
Allison Martin was one of the students who transferred to the Twin Rivers district. She will begin third grade at Qulin Elementary after attending school in Poplar Bluff.
"I can't believe I have never been to this school before," Martin said as she jumped up and down in excitement.
Allison said she was most excited about her pirate theme classroom she was able to visit earlier in the week.
"We get to read inside a pirate ship," she exclaimed.
A little more nervous, Hannah Stephens approached the building alongside mother, Melissa Stephens.
Melissa said her daughter was excited to start her first day of kindergarten, but she was a little emotional.
"I don't want to get emotional in front of her," Melissa said. "I'm trying to stay strong."
While Hannah knew students from preschool and ball practice, she was still a bit shy as she hid behind her mother before entering the building.
"I don't like it," Melissa said about leaving her daughter as she walked out of the building after escorting her to her classroom.
First-grade-student April Maddock walked towards the elementary school excited to see all her friends as little brother, Jacob, was nervous to start his first year of kindergarten.
April said she explained to her brother what to expect at school.
Ashley Maddock, April and Jacob's mother, expressed she was more nervous than her children.
Naming friends she could already see inside the building, kindergarten student Paytyn Newton, was excited to be reunited with all her friends.
"I don't think mom is ready, but I'm excited," stepfather Jonathan Troutt said about Paytyn's first day of school.
Mother Tabitha Hack said Jonathan would probably have to reassure her throughout the day everything would be okay.
Once dropping Paytyn off at her classroom, Tabitha exited the building with a drooping bottom lip.
"We will take good care of her," Morse said reassuring Paytyn's mother.
A change throughout the Twin Rivers R-X School District this year is the bell schedule.
Qulin Elementary School will open its doors at 7:35 a.m. for students to begin eating breakfast. The bell will ring at 7:55 a.m. for classes to begin with school dismissing at 3 p.m.
Qulin Middle School will follow the same bell schedule except dismissal will be at 3:05 p.m. to accommodate bus route schedules.
Fisk Elementary and Middle School will both allow students to enter the building beginning at 7:35 a.m. and start the day at 8 a.m. Students who are picked up will be dismissed at 3:10 p.m. with bus riders leaving as soon as the buses return from Broseley.
With the addition of the new parking lot, Fisk Principal Leean Mann said everyone will enter and exit the parking lot in one direction.
"Everyone will come in on McKinley Avenue and leave on Emma Street in the mornings and afternoons," Mann said.
Twin Rivers High School will open its doors at 7:30 a.m. and classes will begin at 8:02 a.m. Students who ride the bus will be dismissed at 3:04 p.m. with the rest of the students to follow.
According to Twin Rivers High School Principal Misti Lovelace, the school day is beginning eight minutes earlier and ending seven minutes later, adding a total of 15 minutes to the school day.
With the additional time in the school day, Lovelace said an advisory time was added to student's schedules to focus on character education and academics.
Students will need to be at their bus stops slightly earlier in the mornings compared to last year and will arrive home a little later in the afternoons with the new bell schedule at each campus.