GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — For the first time since spring, Guilford County first and second graders got to walk through school doors ready to learn face-to-face.
Pre-k and Kindergartners joined in full-time too. Some of those students have been doing voluntary half-days since early October.
In true 2020 fashion we had thunder, lightning, and several flash flood warnings while many students were getting dropped off at school around 7 a.m. Thursday.
Principal Cynthia McKee of Irving Park Elementary School was able to laugh it off.
"First day back, would you have it any other way? Did you expect it any other way haha!"
She said the pure excitement on the kids faces made up for it.
"We’re all smiling, children are smiling, that's what counts," McKee explained. "When I go inside we’re all going to be soaked haha! But we’re all going to be smiling under our masks."
The rain caused some minor speed bumps but it didn't dampen the mood.
"We got the flood alert right before we came out so we brought everybody underneath the overhang so the kids don't get wet, it'll take longer but that's OK!"
That's the positive attitude that's carrying Principal McKee through a full-time, in-person return in the middle of a global pandemic.
"We're just excited to have them back and look at how many people we have back today," she said pointing to the line of cars. "This is amazing; in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst the metrics being so high, but yet we have all these people wanting to come back because they trust us and we trust them."
She said that excitement outweighs the COVID-19 anxiety.
"We're going to do everything possible to prevent cases coming into our school but understand it may happen," she said. "We're going to feel bad, we'd feel bad even it was the flu or anything else but we're going to do everything we can do reduce the risk at all times."
Still, the air of uncertainty lingers.
"We are so excited to be back face-to-face but at the same time we are just as nervous as the parents are."
McKee added her school is well-stocked with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies. Also, 100% of her staff returned to school which helped with the preparations.
"I may be the principal, a teacher may be a teacher but we're all custodians and counselors too, we all help each other."