Principal Kathy Baker stood at the entrance of Greensferry Elementary School Tuesday morning, greeting many students by name. Schoolkids walked up to the new building wearing new outfits and carrying new backpacks, their parents in tow.

“Good morning,” Baker said to one family. As she opened to door for them, she addressed the young boy. “Here we go, are you ready?”

The halls were filled with schoolkids and their families trying to find the right classrooms. Down one hall, up another. Baker personally escorted many kids to where they needed to be.

Dyllon and Tia Anderson were dropping their three kids off at the first day of school. The twins, Brody and Bree, are in first grade and their older sister, Madison, is in fourth.

Madison transferred from Ponderosa Elementary School. She wasn’t too bummed about it, though, because she knew a few of the teachers and her best friend was in her class.

“A lot of fourth-grade teachers transferred here, and Mrs. Baker,” Tia said. “I’m excited for them, the school is brand-new and nice.”

Greensferry Elementary School opened its doors Tuesday to 345 students. The new Post Falls school, built to relieve large enrollment numbers from Prairie View and Ponderosa Elementary Schools, serves first through fifth grades with class sizes ranging from 23 to 29 students.

Two of the 17.5 certified teachers are new hires, while the rest transfered from different schools within the Post Falls School District.

Johnathan Robinson, a fifth-grader, left his mom and sister at his classroom door, excited to start his year as king of the school.

“I own the school,” he told The Press before entering his room.

His sister, Julia, walked with her mom to a second-grade classroom around the corner. She and her brother had left Ponderosa Elementary School to come to Greensferry.

“They didn’t want to leave,” said their mom, Kimberly. “But it helped that Mrs. Baker and some other teachers were coming.”

Despite the high emotions of watching one’s child go off on their own to school, there weren’t as many tears as might be expected. Instead, there were tons of smiles, long hugs and waves goodbye.

As one couple walked down the hall after dropping their child off, they exclaimed “freedom” and put their fists in the air.

At the other end of the hall, Jenny Ramos dropped off her second-grade son and a neighbor’s child.

“Our community is like family, you know, the whole 'it takes a village' thing,” she said. “It was so great to walk out the front door and see all the families walking to school. The boys are so excited; all their friends from the neighborhood will be here.”

As the first day of school began, Baker walked down the hallway for the first day’s announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance. Every day of the school year, the principal will go to a different classroom and ask those students to lead the school in the pledge.

Tuesday, Anna Carpenter’s fifth-grade class had the honor on the first day of school. Over the loudspeaker, the class instructed their peers to put their hands over their heart and recite the pledge. Then Baker addressed the school.

“Good morning mustangs,” she said. “Today we start the first day of a new school. Look around at the familiar faces and the new faces. Let’s all make a new friend today. We are developing a new family here, starting now.”