On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the first students in Butler County went back to class, as we learned in Thursday’s edition of the Butler Eagle.

Karns City Area School District started classes Wednesday, as did Allegheny-Clarion Valley schools. Seneca Valley and Mars Area school districts are set to begin classes Thursday.

Other districts around Butler County kick off their years next week or the week after.

And there are plenty of changes for students. In Karns City, students in kindergarten through sixth grade got their first day in the fully complete Karns City Elementary School.

In Mars, ongoing construction on Route 228 will likely mean traffic and headaches for parents during pick up and drop off.

Even with those changes, there is a positive attitude in the air.

“Our first day today couldn’t have gone any better than ours went,” David McDeavitt, A-C Valley’s superintendent, said.

The beginning of a new school year is a time full of promise. There are new subjects for students to master, new sports and games to be played, new friends to get to know.

The start of the school year can also be distracting, though, as students learn new bus stops or walking routes to school.

That makes it more important than ever for drivers to be alert and aware for young people on the sidewalks, shoulders and roads around the area.

All of us can do our part to help make the beginning of a new school year a safe and healthy time for everyone.

— JK