It appears that everyone had a good first day of school. Now with that over, everyone is focusing on having a good year.

On Thursday morning, new and returning students happily arrived at their respective campuses.

At W.O. Lance Elementary School, Principal Jamie Heard, along with city officials, school boosters and a delegation from Mount Hermon Baptist Church, lined both walls near the entrance and greeted the arriving children with handshakes and a few high fives.

Lanett City Schools Superintendent Philip Johnson said in a statement that they had a successful day.

“Teachers and students were excited and the enthusiasm was evident,” Johnson said. “Preliminary numbers show we had a slight increase in enrollment.”

Chambers County Superintendent Kelli Hodge said the county school system had a great first day, as well.

“We got them [the kids] there, we fed them and we got them home,” she said. “Now we can focus on the rules and instructions.”

Hodge noted that a good day doesn’t necessarily mean uneventful.

“A Life Flight helicopter had to land on one of our football fields,” she said. “Not for any of our kids, but it made the day interesting.”

Yolanda Stephen, Director of Public Relations for Troup County School System, said it was an exciting time for everyone and Troup has a lot of things to look forward to this year.

“We’re working toward our improvement plan and the first day showed that we are on track,” she said, noting the three priorities for the year are creating a culture of success, literacy and providing a rigorous learning environment.

Stephen noted that representatives from the Georgia Department of Education were on hand at Callaway High School to welcome students and rolled out a literal red carpet for students.

At Berta Weathersbee Elementary School, students arrived in their uniforms ready for the year.