The rain came down hard, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits on the first day of the 2011-2012 school year, Wednesday, September 7, at Hampton Bays Elementary School.

Some kids arrived with their parents, who walked up donning rain slickers and carrying umbrellas as they brought their little ones, clad in Dora the Explorer and lots of other cartoon-themed wet weather gear; while other children were dropped off or took the bus in for the big day.

The smallest children - those in the incoming kindergarten classes - were the first off the buses. Luckily, most of the youngest students were quickly ferried into the school in between bouts of drenching rain. They were followed by the seasoned first through fourth-grade students, who made their entrances quickly through the downpour in a precise and orderly fashion.

Getting the first day down to a science is a top priority every year for the district, and this year, despite the wet weather, everything went smoothly for students, teachers, parents and administrators. Less than 15 minutes after the first bus rolled up, the elementary school students were sitting in their comfortable and dry classrooms, excited to begin another great school year at Hampton Bays.