Students at Panther Valley Elementary, Intermediate and High schools returned to classes Monday.

Panther Valley Intermediate school welcomed 152 fourth-graders for the first day of school Monday.Principal Lisa Mace called it an "awesome" day, as the young students got their first experience getting lockers and changing classes."They're excited about it," she said. "They look at it as a new building, and growing up."More than 500 students in grades K-3 showed up for the first day at Panther Valley Elementary.Principal Robert Palazzo said students were excited to see their friends and meet new their new teachers."The teachers worked all summer to get their classrooms ready for school. They all had exciting activities planned for opening day to help the kids feel more comfortable," Palazzo said.Panther Valley Intermediate serves fourth through sixth grades. With 152 students, the new fourth-grade class has about 10 fewer students than the now seventh-grade class.The school ran on a modified schedule, giving teachers and students extra time to take care of first-day housekeeping.The last buses were out of the lot by 3:05 p.m., which Mace said was a successful first day in that respect."Teachers bring them out during the day to show them the bus lot. That helps a little on that," she said.It was also the first day of the school district's new dress code, which created a lot of discussion online this summer. The district dropped the requirement to wear Panther Valley colors, giving students more choice in their clothes."I think they did a great job with the dress code," Mace said.Fifth- and sixth-graders will return to a normal schedule in the next couple days. Fourth-graders will get some extra support to adjust to their new schedule for the rest of the week."They have a good nurturing team. That helps," Mace said.