CHICORA — Emotions are running a little high as schools across the county are winding down.

At Chicora Elementary, teachers and students had their own word for it: bittersweet.

That was the prevailing theme on the school's last day of school on Wednesday. Of course, that bittersweet feeling included plenty of student excitement with summer so close.

“I was shaking yesterday on the way home (from school),” said Addison Burrows, a second-grader. “I woke up at 6 a.m. this morning, like, 'Can we go now?'”

Addison's excitement was only made more intense by the fact that the students had Fun Day on Wednesday, a carnivallike day for students to celebrate the end of school, with inflatables, snow cones, a dunk tank, faceprinting and other fun activities.

As principal Shane Spack put it: “These kids are just loving life right now.”

But Addison's excitement was tinged with a bit of sadness.

“These two friends are the ones I'm going to miss the most,” she said, putting her shoes on after jumping around in the inflatables and referring to her friends Elijah Conklin and John Glennon.

The older students are the ones who seem to have the most nostalgia, with sixth-graders saying they will miss the elementary school.

Madyson Fields, Savanah Wyant and Isabella Steele-Haller, all sixth-graders, agreed that they would miss the elementary school, calling it their “favorite school.”

Savanah said while she was sad to leave the elementary school, she was excited and nervous to go to the high school.

“The teachers are what we're going to miss the most,” Isabella said, singling out Mark Jones as her favorite teacher. But both Savanah and Madyson said they would miss sixth-grade teacher Kellie Johnston.

Marli Knox, another sixth-grade student, said her enjoyment of Fun Day also was shadowed with some sadness.

“I'm a little sad to move on from this school,” she said, snow cone in hand.

While the sixth-graders are upset to leave the elementary, the fifth-grade students are distressed by parting with their current teachers.

For four boys in Dacey Mealey's classroom, the end of the year is bittersweet, according to Mallick Metcalf, Isaac Wetzel, Mitchell Waldroup and Michael Neff.

Mitchell said Mealey has so much personality that they will miss, and Isaac said she cracks great jokes and does multiple voices when the class reads out loud.

Michael is worried about sixth grade, saying he's heard bad things about it. But ultimately, the fact that they won't have to wake up early and can stay up later that is the real win, said Mallick and Mitchell.

Of course, kindergarten kids don't entirely understand what summer means, said teacher Mary Lavella.

“For them, it hasn't sunk in yet,” she said, explaining that they don't entirely grasp that they won't be returning to school the next day.

Kayla Occhiogrosso, a parent of a kindergarten student Maddie Occhiogrosso, said she's had to have a few talks with Maddie to explain what summer is.

“They're in kindergarten, they don't understand the concept of summer,” Occhiogrosso said.

As for Maddie, she's excited for all of the fun she'll have this summer, already planning sleepovers with her friends.

The only thing she said she will miss is her teacher, Bethany Stewart.

As kindergarten teachers, Stewart and Lavella said by the end of the year, the students have grown so far, learning how to read and do basic math by the end of kindergarten.

“With kindergarten, I hate to see the end (of the year),” Lavella said. “I could keep them forever. They've come a long way from before (this year).”

For Lavella, there's no relief that the year is over and it's time for a break: “This is what we love.”

Alison Perry, a second-grade teacher, brought up just how bittersweet the day is.

“I'm excited for the year to end, but I'll miss the kids,” Perry said. “I cry every year. It's a little bit of a relief, I don't know. It's a new chapter.”

Heather Strohmyer, another second-grade teacher, had trouble finding the words to describe how she felt.

“You really realize how far they've come, and you're sad to see them go,” she said, just before three students embraced her in a group hug. “It's always bittersweet. You do form a bond with them.”

But Mealey may be the teacher most affected by the end of the year, saying that this year she knew she would cry.

“I told my kids, 'At 3:10 (p.m.), watch out because I'm going to lose it,'” Mealey said, with tissues at the ready. “Most years, I am relieved a little, but this class just made it easy. While I do love spending time with my family, (these kids) are like my family too.”