New Canaan Kids Smile As School Year Starts

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Lyla Koch wanted to make sure she was able to do one thing when she stepped inside East School on Tuesday morning.

“Play,” said Lyla, 5, wearing a shy smile while holding her mother, Sara’s, hand.

But the new kindergartener at East School will likely have to do a little school work first.

Lyla and hundreds of other New Canaan children dodged a few raindrops and made their way into East School on Tuesday for the start of a new school year.

Many of the youngsters might have been nervous as they tried to get a grasp of their new surroundings. Thankfully for Lyla, her older brother, Griffin, 9, and sister, Payton, 8, are also East students. That adds a sense of comfort for her, Sara Koch said.

The first day is a thrill for parents as well as the kids, Koch said. “It’s like the first day for us because we haven’t seen each other all summer,” she said. While Lyla’s older siblings aren’t as enthused as she is, Koch said it’s good to be back in a normal routine.

Anila Morina, 7, was happy to head back to class. “I get to see all of my friends,” said Anila, arriving at school with her mother, Lavdije.

Xando Cannon, 5, coming in for his first day of kindergarten with his mother, Emily, said he feels “good” and hopes to make some good friends at East.

East School Principal Alexandra Potts said the drop off went well. She greeted kids with a message of “happy new year” over the school’s public address system and urged the students to follow the school’s motto of “Work Hard and Be Kind.”

“A school needs children and we have the children back. Life is good,” Potts said.

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