Students at Bear Mountain Elementary School in Arvin returned to classes Tuesday morning with a new TK wing featuring eight new classrooms, though the playground remains under construction.
Families lined up outside the elementary school to welcome the new school year, with many students eager to meet their new classmates and teachers.
"Excited, happy, and peaceful," said Aribelle Gallardo, a student at Bear Mountain Elementary.
While some children were all smiles, others admitted feeling somewhat uneasy about the first day back.
"I'm always nervous every year, especially with this one—my daughter—her first year. I get nervous every year, but after, I think the first week we're all settled down and good to go," said Christopher Aguilar.
Aguilar has a child in the district and says this year his daughter will be starting TK at the school's brand new TK wing.
The new addition includes eight classrooms, each equipped with student bathrooms and storage units designed to create a functional and safe learning environment for children.
"The TK was constructed out of Early Childhood funds that were given for TK and PreSchool. The buildings are done, but the yard is not. Barely two months ago, the trailers got pulled out," said Georgia Rhett, superintendent of Arvin Union School District.
Rhett emphasized the district's renewed focus on student development.
"We have a new vision that the board has created, 'Working Together to Empower all Students to be Lifelong Learners,' and everybody has been focused on that," said Rhett.
Construction at Bear Mountain Elementary School is scheduled to be completed this fall.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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