First Day Feelings: Marlborough Schools

As students file off of buses and into the classroom today, some will be wracked with nerves and others full to the brim with excitement. As it turns out, these feelings were no different for school administrators when they were attending school.

"The new bookbag and the new lunch box. Those were my favorite things," said Maria Silletti, the principal at Richar School."The fresh crayons and the smelly markers ... all that fun stuff."

For Mary Murphy, the principal at Whitcomb Middle School, it was the first day outfit that she looked forward to the most.

"I always loved dressing up on the first day," she said.

Cheryl Piccirelli reflected on how different school was for her, where you would walk to class and then go home for lunch, than it is for students now. The first day of school for her was often a nervous experience.

"I had a lot of anxiety," said Piccirelli who said that still happens to students at her school. "New students coming in who feel some anxiety are usually fine after the first hour or so ... we try to get them through the first hour."

She said she was looking forward to all the students getting to school smoothly and having a good first day.

Murphy said her favorite thing now about the first day is the students returning and engaging with the staff.

"They are so excited about seeing us again and the relationships they have established in the past; and always the hugs," she said.

Silletti echoed her sentiments saying it was "the hugs and the smiles" she looked forward to on the first day.