By By LISA TINDELL and KERRY WHIPPLE BEAN
Brewton Elementary kindergartners didn't seem to shed any tears Thursday morning as they met their teachers and took a tour of their new school.
Many of their parents were not so lucky.
After their children chattered away about new school supplies and how they spent their summer, more than a few parents welled up in Lisa Peace's class, where she read them the story &#8220A Pocket Full of Kisses,” about a mother raccoon and her son.
Thursday was the first day of school for Brewton and Escambia County, although Brewton Elementary students had an abbreviated day, with orientation meetings scheduled throughout the day to get students better acquainted with the school and their teachers.
&#8220It's nice to have that opportunity to explain some of their expectations,” Brewton Elementary Principal Deborah Marriott said. &#8220(The teachers) spend a lot of time trying to put their best foot forward with parents, because they are the ones who are taking care of their babies.”
Meanwhile, the halls of W.S. Neal Elementary smelled of new crayons and school glue as children headed back to school.
Greeting students at the front door was school principal John Knott. Helping to direct first-time students and parents to the proper location, Knott was busy on the first day of school.
W.S. Neal schools have a total enrollment of just over 1,400 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The breakdown of current enrollment is 416 at Neal High; 465 at Neal Middle; and 553 at Neal Elementary.
While some students were fearful of the first day, some kindergarten students in Brewton were ready to jump right in.