At long last, they're back to school
School officials at both New Hampton Community Schools and St. Joseph Community School both said that the long-awaited start to the 2020-21 school year is going off without a hitch.
Students returned to the three public school buildings and one private school building for the first time since March 13. The 2019-20 academic year was cut short — although schools did offer distance learning options — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At New Hampton Elementary School, students, all of whom were wearing masks, lined up with their teachers on the school's playground before entering the building.
Superintendent Jay Jurrens had told School Board members last week that masks will be required on school buses and when students enter a school building. If students can social distance in their classrooms, they will not need to wear masks.
Still, it was a pretty festive atmosphere at all four school buildings in New Hampton, as well as on social media, where numerous parents posted "first-day-of-school" photos.
— For more on the first week of school, see the Sept. 1 Tribune