At 7:15 a.m., just a few minutes before the opening school bell at South Lakes High School, Anne Le opened her new locker for the first time, shoving in a few unneeded items.
Just a few yards away, a leak caused by the day’s rain dripped into a trashcan. The 10th-grader’s green locker was located in the school’s main hallway, which was still without an enclosed ceiling because of the ongoing renovations.
But she wasn’t complaining about the leak. “I would have preferred [a locker] in blue,” she said. Moments later, she was gone and the hallway was empty except for a few administrators. School had officially started.
Roughly 7,200 students, like Anne, started a new year at a Reston school Tuesday morning.
With sleeping in late and the rest of summer’s carefree days behind them, students plodded through puddles on the first, rainy day of school.
“Though it’s welcome rain, it’s the first day of school and I’d rather have it be bright and sunny,” said Anu Sindhwani, who held an umbrella as she walked her daughter, Anika, across the street and into Hunters Woods Elementary School.
If students were excited, it was mostly to see friends. Hugs and high-fives were the norm the first opening minutes at several schools.
Others were still adjusting. Eric O’Brien, a 6th grader at Hunters Woods, grumbled about getting up so early. “I got up at 7:15,” he said. His mother, Marcia O’Brien, explained that the family had just returned from a vacation in California where Eric enjoyed sleeping in until after 10 a.m.
Principals and several teachers stood near the entrances of their schools, greeting students.
As a flurry of students walked by Shane Wolfe, assistant principal at Armstrong Elementary, he offered enough “Good morning’s” and “Welcome back’s” for everyone.