ROCK SPRINGS – There were smiles and a few tears from students in Sweetwater County School District No. 1 schools Wednesday as they attended their first day of school.

At the Overland Elementary Early Childhood Education Center and Rock Springs Junior High, the Rock Springs High School Cheer Team welcomed students to the buildings. For many students at Overland, it was their first day of school ever and most students either walked confidently between the two lines of cheerleaders or shyly hid behind their parents as they approached the school.

Overland Elementary Principal and Executive Director Carrie Ellison said it was a great start to the school year.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “It’s been really busy.”

Students at the Overland building are preschool-aged, being between three and five years old, and study a curriculum seeking to prepare them for kindergarten academically, socially and emotionally. She said the district also operates an employee childcare center in the building that has the same preparation-focused curriculum. She said Overland has 180 students from throughout the school district.

Two cheerleaders welcoming students to school started their senior year Wednesday, with both looking forward to competing in their last year at Rock Springs High School.

“We’re excited for new beginnings,” Ireland Lew said.

Teammate Nevaeh Anderson said she looks forward to the cheer team doing well at state and being successful. Both said they look forward to being involved with community events throughout the year with their teammates during their final year in high school.

At Rock Springs Junior High, students’ attitudes were different from the kids going into the nearby Overland Elementary, with groups of friends gathering together and sharing their first semester class schedules or talking about their summer activities. Regan White said she is excited for her painting class, while Gauge Gasser said he is happy to have his favorite teacher in two classes and Caitlyn Christensen said she looks forward to making new friends.

For some of the teachers, the first day of school comes with some of the same nervousness students feel. One of the teachers admitting to feeling that nervousness is Chris Arrants, who works in the junior high’s special services department.

“I feel it too,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re going to get.”

He said the last week involved a number of meetings and prep work to get classes ready for students, saying the teachers at Rock Springs Junior High work hard to ensure the students are prepared for their eventual transition into high school while striving to help their students learn.

“I want what’s best for the kids,” Arrants said. “I think we all do.”