A number of firsts as school begins in District 303

Nervous faces filled the halls of Lincoln Elementary School on the first day of school Wednesday in St. Charles Unit District 303.

Then the students arrived.

Kindergarten can be a traumatic beginning for 5-year-olds. Yet as the bus to drop off the afternoon kindergarten class pulled away there wasn't a tear shed, a frantic latch onto a parent's leg or a shriek to pierce the festive atmosphere, Principal Adam Zbrozek said.

An hour into their day, kindergarten students had already mastered life without mom or dad at their side and the fine art of standing single-file in the hallway.

In fact, there seemed to be more nerves for the adults in the building, a feeling Zbrozek could empathize with on two levels.

Zbrozek is the parent of a fairly young child himself.

"I remember taking my son to his first day of kindergarten," Zbrozek said. "I was kind of nervous, but he was really excited."

Wednesday was also Zbrozek's first day of kindergarten, at least as a principal. Zbrozek is the brand new principal of the school, having been the assistant principal of Haines Middle School for the past three years.

Lincoln Elementary is perhaps an ideal environment for a new principal as it is a relatively small school. There are only two classrooms at each grade level plus the morning and afternoon sections of kindergarten. The teaching staff has an average of 15 years of experience, but some have taught for more than 30 years.

The school itself is a fixture in the community. It's existed, in some form, in its current location since 1856. The original dedication stone and bell used to notify students of the start of school are still both in place.

For Zbrozek, that helps feed into his teaching philosophy of creating a lifelong culture and love of learning that lasts and grows from generation to generation.

Zbrozek himself is still a student.

"I'm a bit of a school junkie," he said. "My wife always makes fun of me that I'm never really going to leave college."

Zbrozek is only two semesters away from receiving his doctoral degree. But Wednesday was all about his new students.

"They all got off the bus and were ready to be here," Zbrozek said. "They'll get to know each other very quickly, and they are enjoying their first day."