CEDARVILLE — Cedar Cliff Local Schools administrators could not have been more pleased with how the opening day went Wednesday — with or without COVID-19.

“Our first day went incredibly well for any year, let alone in a pandemic year,” said Chad Haemmerle, high school and middle school principal. “I could not be more proud of our staff, students, and community. Getting started today was a total team effort and our team came together in a big way. Sometimes people smile so big that you can see that smile in spite of the mask … I saw a lot of smiles today from adults and children.”

Around 90 percent of students chose the in-person option and Superintendent Chad Mason said pushing back the start of school a week helped. He said the staff seemed “very prepared” and social distancing went “as well as it could have.”

“We had a great first day and it was in large part due to the intense planning and diligent work of the principals and the staff,” Mason said.

Mason conceded that there is no way to totally socially distance in any school setting, but he lauded the staff for preparing to make it happen as much as possible.

“I was also very happy with the students and their willingness to be flexible and go along with the protocols in place,” Mason said.

If there was one aspect that needs to be tweaked it would be breakfast, Mason said. There was a plan in place to keep students from gathering in the cafeteria before school, but fewer students took advantage of breakfast. Mason said he wants to get the word out that breakfast is still available for those who want it.

“Obviously there are safety protocols in place,” Haemmerle said. “Some things are different, and some protocols may seem weird to students, but we were all here together and that was a huge positive. Every day that we get to have together this school year is a great day and a huge positive.”

Mason asked for continued compliance from students, staff, parents and everyone associated with the district. The district’s theme this year is “Be Happy With Everyday We Get a Day of Face-to-Face Instruction in Place.”

Mason said Wednesday was hopefully the first of many, many more face-to-face days.

File photo Cedar Cliff schools began Wednesday, with about 90 percent of enrolled students choosing in-person learning. Classrooms were set up for social distancing.

https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/08/web1_Classroom-1.jpgFile photo Cedar Cliff schools began Wednesday, with about 90 percent of enrolled students choosing in-person learning. Classrooms were set up for social distancing.