Dunkirk Intermediate School Principal Kim Texter waited at the door to greet students on their first day of school with a smile and a hug. Principals and administrators across many other districts did the same.

Local police departments put out messages on social media urging drivers to be careful and alert while driving near schools and routes that walkers frequent.

The Dunkirk Police Department had patrol officers checking school zones for speeding to ensure the safety of all children on their way to and from school. In a statement, Dunkirk Police said, “The few seconds it takes to slow down will not disrupt anyone’s day. There is no excuse not to slow down in school zones!”

This year, the Dunkirk City School District is led by a new superintendent, Brian Swatland. With him came a new logo, featuring the Dunkirk Lighthouse near Point Gratiot, and the motto of “One Dunkirk” to highlight the district’s focus this year on uniting the community.

Cars lined the side streets surrounding Dunkirk’s Intermediate School on Tuesday morning.

“We want to be one,” Swatland said at a recent Board of Education meeting. “We want to be together. We always want to work as hard as we can for our students and the community.”

At Fredonia, the district is emphasizing its next wave of student leaders at the high school level through its “Leader in Me” programming. New High School Principal Ron Tonelli hopes to build upon the foundation left by Darrin Paschke, who retired from his post this past summer.

In Silver Creek, teachers and staff were on campus Tuesday, but students had one last day of summer before classes began. Even though the school calendar started a day later for Silver Creek, administrators hope that attendance moving forward will be even better than before. A focus of the district this year is on reducing chronic absenteeism through the district’s #everyday campaign.

Sunny weather and temperatures in the 60s will not last long, and the excitement will temper as mornings like Tuesday’s become part of the routine. But from a preschooler walking through the Wheelock campus doors to a senior entering Dunkirk High School for their final first day of classes, Tuesday was a significant morning for students all across the region.