Pickens County Students Are Back In School

The school bell rang for more than 16,000 in the School District of Pickens County on Tuesday.

The schoolyear started a little later this year, while the district finished construction at five area schools.

This morning it was not only the students getting back into the routine, but parents as well. Cars lined both sides of the street near East End Elementary School and a long line had formed to get into the parking lot adjacent to the school.

Safety patrols lined the front curb at the school, opening doors and greeting parents and keeping the line of traffic moving through the school's front parking area.

School is back in session.

Inside, the hallways were crowded as students and parents hurried off to classrooms and to start the new school year.

Bedecked in new shoes, new clothes and new backpacks, the elementary school buzzed with activity.

Principal Tammy Day greeted students in the lobby of the front office. She hugged older students, welcomed new students and watched the school day get off to a good start.

At the front counter a tearful little girl asked for help in finding her class. After a hug from an adminstrator and the tears sufficiently wiped away, she was taken by the hand to her class.

A few minutes later two male students also had lost their way. While they remembered their teachers names, they had no idea where they were supposed to be.

Day, who is beginning her sixth year as principal at East End, said the school welcomed back about 750 students this year.

"We have had a great start to the new year," Day said. "All is going great. No problems, thank goodness! Just regular beginning of the year routines with traffic, bus numbers, etc."