First day brings good vibes to Karns City Area School
CHICORA — The rain stopped right as buses started pulling up to Karns City Area Elementary School Wednesday morning.
“There’s a lot of first day jitters, but we’re all feeling pretty good. It’s good to be back in here,” principal Shane Spack said. “It’s always good to be back with the students and teachers.”
This is the school district’s first full year in the newly completed elementary school, which was finished this summer at a cost of $25 million. According to Spack, the school, which holds students in kindergarten through sixth grade, has roughly 650 students for the 2025-26 year, with four classes in each grade.
Sean Denham, the head of security at the elementary school, said this was the first time school buses and parents used the new drop-off locations and main entrances for the school building.
Students poured off the school buses and filtered through several lines to go through metal detectors at the new main entrance. They walked past the new gymnasium, cafeteria, nurse’s office and library to stop by their homerooms before headed to breakfast.
“I’m excited to go into sixth grade, I’m not really nervous at all. I’m excited for my classes this year,” Kayezen Keihl said.
Karns City Area School District, along with Freeport and Allegheny-Clarion Valley, had their first day of school Wednesday, Aug. 20. Seneca Valley and Mars Area school districts have theirs on Thursday, Aug. 21, while others in Butler County start next Monday or the day after Labor Day.
“Our first day today couldn’t have gone any better,” David McDeavitt, A-C Valley’s superintendent, said. “We’ve had our presentations and Act 55 training and everything leading up to this, we had an annual staff meeting, and today capped it off with a performance from the A-C Valley marching band. It was good to be back here.”
Down at Karns City elementary, students poured in for their first day while teachers and other faculty, with smiles and laughter, guided the students to their classrooms, particularly the new kindergartners roaming around with confused looks on their faces.
Students were also excited to show off their first day of school outfits, with some wearing their favorite shoes and T-shirts, while others dressed up with dresses and one boy wore a bow tie.
“I’ve got my new shoes! I got them from a shoe store in Butler,” Noah Weidenholf, an eager first-grader, said. “They’re blue and orange. They’re for the first day.”
New classes and being with friends were among the reasons for the students’ excitement and curiosity heading into the new school year.
“I’m excited,” first-grader Lillian Lumley said. “I like being here, I like being with my friends.”
While students ate breakfast and went to their first classes, faculty noted they had to work to maintain the new routine with the hundreds of students returning from summer break.
“We let the older kids eat first, because instruction starts at 8:50. Then we’ll bring in the kindergartners and the first graders, because they need more time, it may be their first time here in the school,” Spack said. “Obviously they’ll come back from lunch, we have four different lunch periods. With these munchkins, we’ll try and take care of them.”
When students arrived to Karns City Area Elementary School last year, parts of it were still under construction. Faculty found it nice to welcome students back to a fully complete building, without workers still constructing the cafeteria and gymnasium areas.
“It’s been pretty calm this year, it’s pretty nice. Last year was a mess. This year’s going really well. It’s good to see,” Kelly Olinger, a paraprofessional at the elementary school, said.
“Wow, that went really well,” Spack added after classes were underway. “There was hardly any crying or tears, everybody’s in a good mood today.”
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School principal Jeffrey Wagner greets kids as they come off the bus during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Nicole Macurak kisses her daughter Alexis on the forehead as she is dropped off during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School principal Shane Spack greets kids as they come off the bus during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School principal Shane Spack greets kids as they come off the bus during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Victoria Bartoe takes a photo of her son Noah and sister Nora during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Victoria Bartoe takes a photo of her son Noah and sister Nora during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Victoria Bartoe hugs her son Noah as she drops him off for the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Stacy Debacco comforts her granddaughter Kinsley Cochran as they get ready for the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Alissa Troutman kisses her daughter Adra as she drops her off for the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Max Geibel, left, excitedly greets Karns City Area Elementary School principal Shane Spack during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Eugene Kaczmarek gets breakfast before the start of class during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School welcomed its students back on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Aline Barnhart drinks the last drop of his juice during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Lillian Lumley, left, and Emery Macurak play as they wait to be dismissed from breakfast during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City Area Elementary School principal Shane Spack pitches in to clean tables during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Reuben Liux empties out his popcorn box in Mrs. Mealey’s fourth grade class with her class theme being circus during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Dante Weckerly gets his photo taken by Melissa McClarren as he plays with the balloons during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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First graders in Mrs. Wimer’s class intently listen to the book “First Grade Stinks” during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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River Foster, middle, listens to Mrs. Wimer reading “First Grade Stinks” during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Hunter McNaughton raises his hand before asking a question as Mrs. Wimer reads “First Grade Stinks” during the first day of school at Karns City Area Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
