Students and parents arrive for first day of school

Students returned to classrooms throughout the territory Monday for the first day of school.

At Joseph Sibilly Elementary School on St. Thomas, some students nervously straightened their uniforms and adjusted their backpacks as they entered the front gate, while others couldn’t wait to get inside and see friends.

School staff welcomed students with enthusiasm, as parents and guardians gave hugs and said their goodbyes.

“It’s a new chapter,” said Jelani Thomas, who gave daughter Suraia, age 4, some last-minute encouragement on her first day.

Thomas said he was relieved his daughter is going to a classroom, rather than the virtual learning on a computer from home that was required to enable social distancing at the height of the pandemic.