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Photo by Hans Hallgren

Joel Roberts, 5, works on a butterfly with the help of his mother, Gay Albers, on Tuesday in Mrs. Duran's room during the first day of school at Sunset Elementary.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Darren McLaughlin walks with other students Tuesday into Craig Middle School on the first day of school.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Mandy Duong, center, talks with her seventh-grade friends about classes before the first day of school Tuesday at Craig Middle School.

The first day of school Tuesday brought a mix of challenges to Moffat County School District administrators.

Some grappled with parent traffic, while others worked around construction carried over from the summer.

However, none were significant enough to seriously impact school operations.

At Moffat County High School, the school's intercom and bell system temporarily went down during first hour, principal Thom Schnellinger said.

Students also were adjusting their schedules and registering for school.

Schnellinger said he also encountered a problem he's seen for several years working at the school: Parents choosing to pick up their children using the bus lane instead of the school's north parking lot.

Overall, however, Schnellinger said the first day of school went well.

"I think the kids came in with a really good attitude," he said. "We're legitimately excited about a new year in school."

Administrators from Ridgeview Elementary School and Craig Intermediate School were unavailable for comment.

At Craig Middle School, the first day of class was devoted to helping students orient themselves in a school under construction.

During the summer, crews demolished the southern portion of the school to make way for a new middle school funded by a $29.5 million bond issue passed in November 2007. This year, the north wing of the school and three modular buildings, each containing two classrooms, will house middle school students.

"Today, our main focus was to get the students acclimated to the campus," said Jill Hafey, CMS assistant principal. "So, we really stressed how to get from the one wing to the modulars and the lunchroom and back."

Parents also had to adjust to a new setup Tuesday morning when dropping their children off at school. Unlike previous years, the parking lot on the north end of CMS now serves as a student drop off point.

On Tuesday, Craig Police Department officers helped direct traffic into the parking lot after traffic began to jam.

Overall, however, Hafey thinks the first day of school went off in a good way.

"I feel like the kids did very, very well and the staff did very, very well," she said.

East Elementary School students worked around construction crews still building the school's new cafeteria, which is slated for completion next month.

Most of the other interior upgrades are finished, principal Diana Cook said.

Students ate outside on picnic tables for their first day of school while crews continue working on the cafeteria.

"As long as the weather stays nice, we'll be OK," Cook said. "When it starts raining, we'll have to find a place inside."

Construction at the school, which is funded by the bond issue, required school staff to make other adjustments. Teachers are parking on Texas Avenue until construction ends and they can reclaim the teacher parking lot.

"Even though we've had some construction going on and there's some different things going on in the building, the kids adapted well - all 353 of them that showed up - and we just had a wonderful day," Cook said.

Another local elementary school had a similar experience.

"Everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood," said Zack Allen, Sunset Elementary School principal. "We're happy and excited."

Nailing down student enrollment was one of the school's main tasks.

"One of the biggest things we concentrated on today on was the kiddos that were on our enrollment list that we were expecting that didn't show up," Allen said.

On Tuesday, Early Childhood Center staff members were preparing for their first day of school for preschool students, which takes place today.

"The teachers are busy working getting their classrooms situated and getting all ready," said Katrina Willey, Early Childhood Center health technician and secretary.

Going to school can be especially difficult for preschoolers.

"A lot of times, it's the 3-year-olds' first experience ever being away from mom and dad," Willey said. "It gets a little emotional for parent and child and teacher."

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com