When the first bell rang at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday morning, an excited, bustling crowd of parents and students outside Needham Elementary erupted in cheers and applause, heralding the first day of school.

Durango resident Muriel Crespin was seeing off her 5-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Lobato, to kindergarten through the melee in the parking lot of the school at 2425 West Third Ave. With Jocelyn’s first time away from home, Muriel wasn’t quite sure how she’d spend her day.

“Probably missing her,” she said. “She’s my baby.”

Other families were a little more excited to start the first day of classes. David Jackson moved his son, Ian, 9, to Needham Elementary for fourth grade so he could continue the International Baccalaureate program, which was discontinued at his previous school, Florida Mesa.

“We’re excited to see him go to another school so he can continue that program,” Jackson said.

Needham Elementary Principal David Tanaka, while fielding high-fives from students entering the school, said the International Baccalaureate program, in its third year, has been incredibly successful.

“It’s really about the depth of learning rather than the breadth,” he said. “It’s about teaching kids to be a member of an international community and be able to look outward.”

Tanaka said school officials will take the next year to refine the program, which is an internationally recognized program focused on theme-based learning.

But for third-grader Fiona Chandler, 8, she was just excited to see old friends after an active summer traveling to Maine and Wisconsin, as well as swimming in the Gates of Lodore section of the Green River near Steamboat Springs.

“I’m a little sad, but she’s really excited to get back,” her mother, Rachel, said.

The only glitch of the day was a gas leak on Florida Road (County Road 240) that affected Riverview Elementary School, delaying some parents from picking up their students and some buses from leaving until the road opened. School District 9-R sent out automated messages to Riverview parents, and staff stayed on site at the school until all the parents had arrived.

Pre-kindergarteners’ and kindergarteners’ starts were a little different, with one-third of each class going Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with their first class session together as a whole on Friday.

For 9-R spokeswoman Julie Popp, it was more than just the beginning of the school year at her job, it was the first day for her son, Rogan Snider, who started the second grade at Needham. Her daughter, Mayleigh Snider, was a little disappointed, though.

“She’s starting preschool,” Popp said, “and because it has a staggered start, she won’t start until (Wednesday). So we dropped her brother off, and then she had to go back home again.”

Popp said all the beginning-of-the-year assemblies were fun.

“There was so much excitement and energy,” she said.

The enthusiasm was also high among the teachers and staff; although they were mostly too busy to talk about it.

“I was talking to Crystal Mestas, the head chef at Miller (Middle School),” Popp said. “And I asked her if she was happy to be back at school. She said, ‘Yes, it’s great to be back. Time to get lunch.’”

The beginning of school is always an emotional day, Popp said.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “Parents have enjoyed having their kiddos around all summer, and the kiddos have enjoyed playing. But they’re also excited to go back to school and see their friends.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com