Despite suffering minor damages from the storm Thursday night, Pike Liberal Arts began the 2015-2016 school year Friday morning.

“Nothing like starting after a storm,” said PLAS Headmaster Becky Baggett. “We were, thankfully, able to go on with the day. We started with a bang.”

Students from kindergarten to high school seniors walked through the front doors of the school with bright smiles and anxious nerves, ready, and not ready, to take on the new year.

“All the kids are always full of excitement,” Baggett said. “They are ready to see their friends, not necessarily ready to go back to work.”

With that being said, seniors excited about their big year never mentioned begin excited about the projects, exams or homework. They had other exciting things on their minds.

“I’m really excited for this year,” said Anna Adams, a PLAS senior. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this year, but I’m really excited.”

Adams is a cheerleader, and said she is excited for football and basketball to begin so she can experience the school spirit of her student body.

“I hope everybody has a lot of school spirit this year,” Adams said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Kayla Dendy, also a senior, said that she hasn’t fully accepted the fact that she is finally a senior.

“To be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Dendy said. “My mom is kind of upset I’m a senior because I’m the oldest in the house and I’ll be the first one off to college. But I’m excited to be a senior this year.”

Like Adams, Dendy is excited for school sports to begin.

“I play softball and basketball, so I’ll get to lead the team this year,” Dendy said. “It’s just really excited being a senior on the sports teams.”

Students weren’t the only ones who were anxious about the new school year. Nikki and Jason Herndon dropped their first child off to kindergarten, and Nikki said it was ‘bittersweet.’

“It’s bittersweet,” Herndon said. “I’m going to miss him running around at home playing. It’s like the beginning of his whole mandatory school career…It’s our first baby going to big kid school.”

Her son, Graham, was the first to arrive to his class, but he took to the toys very quickly. Nikki said that before school that morning, Graham said that he was nervous about starting kindergarten, but he looked to be okay in the classroom.

The first day of school always brings new faces, and not just for the students. Baggett said that while there are a lot of new student faces at PLAS this year, there are also new faces for faculty and staff.

Victoria Cousins, a new first grade teacher at PLAS, was just as excited as her students were.

“I am so excited,” Cousins said. “It’s my first year. I’m looking forward to first grade, but that is an understatement.”

Students at PLAS got a brief start with only a half-day of school. Baggett said that she prefers it to be this way, so the students can dip their toes in the atmosphere of the school year and begin full force the next week.

“I personally like to start on a Friday so we can go over the rules,” Baggett said. “We go over the handbook with our senior high and middle school. Each teacher gives them a supply list. When they come back on Monday, we are ready for real serious business. We get all the busy work out of the way and come back ready to start business.”

So, when Monday rolls around, PLAS will be full speed ahead when it comes to the school year. Baggett said that she tries to make sure that the students learn valuable lessons while they are within the walls of PLAS, not just the lessons in a classroom.

“We are always challenged to just take the students to next level,” Baggett said. “We just try to do that. We try to instill character and integrity in them and let them know how important that is.”

After only a half-day, Baggett said that she is ready to take on the year.

“We look forward to a great year in sports and academics as well.”