Hundreds of Delaware students head back to school

Vincent Rollins should have known better. 

Every year the Wilmington dad plans on driving his kids to Highlands Elementary for their first day of school. 

And every year the Rollins kids — three are Vincent's and three are his nieces and nephew — change things up at the last minute. 

"The plan was to drop them off," Rollins said, shaking his head and sighing. "But they wanted to get on the bus. So I had to drive over here to meet them. Every year. It's the same thing every year."

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Rollins was one of hundreds of Delaware parents who hugged their kids and sent them back to school on Monday.

Several districts — Caesar Rodney, Christina, Colonial, Lake Forest, Laurel, New Castle County Vo-Tech, Red Clay, Seaford, Smryna and Woodbridge — resume classes this week. 

Capital School District started last week, on Aug. 23. Several more — Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Cape Henlopen, Delmar, Indian River, Milford, Polytech and Sussex Tech — start after Labor Day. 

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Rollins said it was sad to see the kids go back to school, "but it's fun to see them so excited." 

He met the kids at the school and had them line up with Highlands Elementary School Principal Barbara Land for a quick picture before shooing them into the building. 

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Doviea Lee wiped away a few tears as she headed back to her car. She had just walked her daughter, 9-year-old Autumn Johns, to Eric Casler's fifth-grade classroom. 

"It's like a happy, sad moment," she said, "because this is her last year in elementary school." 

Lee, a bus driver for the Brandywine School District, doesn't usually get to see Johns off. But this year, the district surveyed parents about starting after Labor Day and moved the first day of school back, the mom said, giving her the day off. 

She peppered the girl with kisses before taking her inside. Autumn, dressed in pink and black, was being uncharacteristically shy. 

"I'm happy," she said quietly. 

Her mom took a step back and gave her the once-over. 

"Usually she talks more," Lee said. She called over Vice Principal Equetta Jones to see if she could cheer Autumn up. 

Kindergartners at the school are usually the most nervous and will only attend two days of school this week, Land said. Like several other districts in Delaware, Red Clay has a split week for the newest of students. 

Kindergartners with last names that start with A through M will go to school on Monday and Tuesday. The rest will attend on Wednesday and Thursday. 

"School's new for those children, and this gives them an opportunity in a smaller setting to get accustomed to who we are at Highlands," Land said. 

All students have Friday off. 

Highlands also has a "lobby hug zone," and parents can visit during lunch and recess. 

The kids weren't the only ones excited Monday morning, Land said. Jones and a group of teachers were there bright and early to write inspiring messages in chalk on the school's front stairs. 

"We just spent an entire summer preparing for this day," Land said. "The school's motto is excellence for every child, every minute, every day." 

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On social media

Parents and local school districts shared pictures from the first day of school on social media Monday. Here are a few of their posts: 

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.

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