Johnston, SC – Jaiden Gibson stepped off the school bus into the bright morning sunshine with a huge smile on her face as she walked down the sidewalk at Strom Thurmond High School on the first day of her sophomore year.

Jaiden was joined in her excitement by plenty of other students on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, for the first day of the 2023-2024 school year in Edgefield County School District. This is the school district’s second school year using a modified academic calendar that includes an earlier-than-normal starting date.

Strom Thurmond High School sophomore Jordan Chinn didn’t mind the early start of school. Quite the contrary, actually.

“I am ready,” stated Jordan during an interview with a local television station. “I’m energized and I’m happy to be back.”

Sara-Beth Brown, a veteran administrator and the new principal at Merriwether Elementary School, was very pleased with the first day at her school.

“Things went smoothly here at Merriwether Elementary,” she commented. “It was a great day.”

Strom Thurmond High School principal, Fran Altringer, said the Rebels also had a nice first day back in school.

“Everything was great,” she stated. “There were some students who needed to make changes to their schedules this morning, which is nothing out of the ordinary for the first day, but other than that, things were just fine.”

Douglas Elementary School interim principal, Windie Burton, said her little Panthers had an awesome time at school on the first day of the new school year.

“The atmosphere was so welcoming and inviting,” she commented. “It was so exciting to see the smiles on the faces of our students and their parents as we reassured them that we were going to take great care of them and their little ones.”

Edgefield County School District Superintendent, Dr. Kevin O’Gorman, whose daughters had their first days in sixth and ninth grades on Tuesday, was proud of the entire District following an even shorter transition time to a new school year.

“We had a great first day of school,” stated Dr. O’Gorman, who traveled across the school district Tuesday to greet employees and students. “Our administrators, teachers and staff ensured our schools were ready and it showed when our students arrived. There were a lot of smiles out there.”