First day of school jitters make way for learning excitement in Garden Grove district

As parents navigate drop-off lines or walk their children to their classrooms, back-to-school means they are also managing the emotions that come with the end of summer.

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For Toni Lueders, it was all excitement on Monday, Aug. 10, as she walked her two sons, Wyatt, 9, and Westyn, 6, up to the gate on their first day of school at Bryant Elementary in Garden Grove.

“I’m excited for them,” Lueders said. “I know that they’re gonna have a great day, so I’m not really nervous.”

On Monday, five school districts across Orange County welcomed students back to the classroom for another year of learning. Bryant Elementary in the Garden Grove Unified District was among those greeting students with balloons, yard signs, and smiling teachers — a welcome that helped counter some of the jitters of parents and students alike.

“I try not to cry in front of him,” Nancy Pineda said about her 4-year-old son, Fidel, who is starting transitional kindergarten at Bryant Elementary. “He wanted to cry, but I left before he started crying, because if he cried, I’d cry too. It’s better to protect the peace of it all.”

For some parents, the back-to-school emotions ended up hitting harder for them than their children. Tiffany and Brett Tarvis were left feeling overwhelmed after saying goodbye to their two children, Elliott, 7, and Riley, 8, outside Bryant Elementary on Monday.

“They’re way more excited than we are,” Tiffany Tarvis said. “They woke up excited, skipping to school. I almost wanted to cry. It’s definitely such a mix of emotions; it’s hard to explain.”

While the first day of school can bring up a lot of emotions, for many parents it also marks the return of routine, new goals, and another year of watching their children grow.

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Diana Vargas said she had been preparing her kids for the shift in routine ahead of the school year. Her children, ages 8, 15, and 17, usually spend their summers sleeping in. She’s used the past few days to wake them up earlier and build up the habit of getting ready for school.

“Timing has been a little rough, but we’re getting over it little by little,” Vargas said. “Usually by September, we’ve got it down.”

For Maria Gutierrez, having her 4-year-old daughter, Nayla Dubon, start of the year brought back old memories from when Gutierrez herself attended Bryant Elementary. Her hope for the year is to help her daughter make new memories and new friends.

“She’s saying she’s nervous,” Gutierrez said about her daughter. “But my other kids are older, so it’ll be good for her to learn more and make new friends, and for her to have some fun.”

Whatever the emotions may be as the back-to-school season ramps up across Orange County, the morning bell that signifies the start of another year is sure to bring exciting opportunities for both parents and students.

This is the busiest week of back-to-school celebrations in the county, with 14 districts starting new academic years by Thursday. By the end of August, all back to two district serving the Huntington Beach area will be underway and by Sept. 2, all campuses will be back to the business of learning.

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