'It Was Great' — Greenwich's First Day of School

"It was great." 

That's the review five-year-old Sophie Farr gave for her first day of school—her day at New Lebanon School in the Byram neighborhood of Greenwich.

With her floral book pack strapped onto her back, Sophie told her mom Hanna Farr, her kindergarten class played outside at lunch.  LIttle sister Clara, 2, was content to take in the sunny surroundings of the Mead Avenue school from her perch in a plastic car wagon. 

The favorite part of Sophie's day in Miss Toselli's class was story time "and going outside."

Farr was one of hundreds of parents who descended upon New Lebanon School to gather their children who began the 2013-14 school year on Aug. 27. The parking lot at the school and the adjacent Byram Shubert Library were overflowing with the vehicles of parents who drove as opposed to walking — the most common mode of transportation in this tight-knit school neighborhood.

Yesterday's first day might seem like a long ways away — 180 class days to be exact — until June 20 when the school year ends for more than 8,600 Greenwich Public School students who attended their first full day of classes. There were orientation classes on Aug. 26 for sixth- and ninth-grade students.

School crossing guard Bob Lynagh was at his post— sitting in the shade waiting for the dismissal procession to begin. He greet parents and youngsters alike as they arrived. "It was a beautiful day for the first day ... Hey sweetheart, that's a pretty dress," Lynagh told four-year-old Darcy Popp who approached with her mom Karen, to pick up second-grader Grace Popp. 

Popp said the first day "went very smoothly." So smoothly in fact, that Darcy cried when she had to leave her pre-school class at Hamilton Avenue School, her mother said.

John and Diana Bermudez paused with their son Johan, a first-grader, who said he enjoyed the exercises his class performed during gym class. And he saved "a prize we got for being good" to bring home and open with his parents.