(BRADENTON, FL - August 18, 2008) Not even Mother Nature could dampen the enthusiasm as nearly 42,000 students returned to classrooms across Manatee County on the first day of the 2008-2009 school year.

Even as students were renewing old acquaintances and getting familiar with new surroundings, Tropical Storm Fay was slowly moving toward the Florida peninsula, a fact that rendered the start of the new school year even more memorable. All Manatee District schools were closed on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, as a precaution against the approaching storm. Fortunately Fay had little impact on Manatee County.

In spite of the storm threat, students, teachers, staffs and administrators worked together to pull of another successful opening day.

"We had a very, very smooth opening," said Helen Abernathy, principal at Manatee Elementary. After two years of construction and renovation at the school, Manatee Elementary opened this year with a beautifully updated campus and no work crews in site.

"It's a real blessing," Abernathy said. "We've got great facilities and we're able to get our students and teachers right into their classrooms and not have to worry about moving anybody around."

Students were navigating their way between classes and getting used to their new schedules over at Southeast High. One of the students, Trish Roy, said she was more than ready to get back to school.

"I'm excited to get back to see my friends and the teachers I missed," said Roy, a junior at Southeast. "I'm already looking forward to football games, all the sports, homecoming and spirit week."

Over at Lee Middle, a magnet school for Fine Arts and Communications, students were already beginning to receive instructions on musical instruments such as the violin and the cornet.

Like students adjusting to a new environment, teacher David Wernicke was also getting used to new surroundings. A former assistant principal at Johnson Middle, Wernicke was settling into his first day as the TV production and Introduction to Computers teacher at Lee Middle.

"The first day of school is great because the kids are excited and the teachers are excited," Wernicke said. "Every single year, it's a brand new experience."