ARLINGTON - While kindergarten and first-grade students spent the first day of school adjusting to the routines of elementary school, brothers Roman and Reese Rookaird began their first day of fifth grade at Pioneer Elementary Sept. 9.
They had to adjust to the idea that they were now "the big kids" in their last year of grade school.
"It's freaky," Reese said, even as mom Kelly pointed out that he and brother would be "the big men on campus."
Roman looked forward to reuniting with old friends, as well as honing his football skills, in case he wanted to go out for the team in high school.
The Rookaird brothers have only attended Pioneer for two years, but their mother praised the support the school has given her boys.
"The principal is just awesome," Kelly Rookaird said of Kerri Helgeson. "She's right on point. The whole staff is immediately responsive. I have no doubts that these teachers are taking care of my boys."
Kelly added that the school made it as easy as possible to prepare for the new school year, by posting school supplies lists on its website that were readily obtainable at local stores, and by working with families facing financial challenges.
One floor down, Robert Zaragoza was getting settled into his second-grade classroom. He's attended Pioneer since kindergarten, and was pretty casual about the new school year.
"Do you have any goals for this year?" his mom, Michelle, asked. When he shrugged his shoulders, she suggested that he could discover that he's a math whiz, like her, to which Robert buried his face in his hands.
"I feel your pain," his father, Joey, laughed.
While Joey and Michelle agreed that they were just as excited as their son for the start of school, since "the first day is the start of parental vacation," they nonetheless look forward to helping him learn. Joey is completing his coursework to become a fully certified archaeologist, "so we'll both be doing some heavy homework this year."
Robert's second-grade teacher, Elisabeth Rosson, has been at Pioneer since it opened in 2002.
"The most important thing about getting kids ready for the first day is to give them a positive feeling about it," Rosson said. "When they come to school, there's always a lot of nerves."