Today is the first day of school in Maricopa

It is the first day of school and parents ushered their kindergarteners onto the Santa Cruz Elementary School campus this morning for the first time with muggy temperatures already near the 90s just before 8 a.m.

Spirits ran high with the late July temperatures as all Maricopa Unified School District campuses opened this morning, launching a new school year.

Hut Nantharath walked his daughter, Irene, to kindergarten class.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Nantharath said. “This is her first time.”

Shaneka Burton took her son, Carion Flowers, to his first day of kindergarten as well.

“It’s overwhelming but this is my eighth time going through it,” Burton said. “I’m hoping it’s going to be a wonderful school year for him.”

Stacey Fountain said the first day of school was challenging for her as she escorted her second-grade daughter, Noreen, into Santa Cruz.

“Wow, for me, frustrating, because we lost the cell phones for the first day,” Fountain said. “We brought a water bottle with no top, so she can’t take it. We’re going to try harder tomorrow.”

Regina Arias walked in with her son Andrew Francis, a fourth grader, and Audrey Francis, in first grade.

“It was nice to have a little bit of relaxation,” Arias said of summer break. “But they’re excited and ready to go back.”

Several parents interviewed were quick to say it would be good to get their children out of the house.

Euraja Mason took her twin girls, Brooklyn and Kali, to their first day of kindergarten.

“Oh, I’m just excited,” Mason said. “They’re excited.”

Sgt. Hal Koozer with Maricopa Police Department’s traffic division was parked near Santa Cruz’s entrance to remind motorists it’s the time of year to slow down in school zones.

“I’m just trying to remind them that it’s the first day of school and we’re out here,” Koozer said, adding he wasn’t out to write speeding citations. “I just want to be high profile. I just want to be a visual deterrent at this time.”

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