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All Covington County schools are back in session and superintendent Shannon Driver said the first day was a good start to the year.

“So far everything is good,” Driver said. “It is a little hot today, but overall it was a good start. Things will start to level out as the school year progresses, but we had no major issues.”

Driver has been in education for 33 years, but he said every year is accompanied by the same excitement.

“Every school year is a new beginning,” Driver said. “I know it is exciting for the kids to get back. I know they have had a good summer, but most kids look forward to coming back to school. I know our teachers are excited, as well.”

Throughout the summer, Driver said he has driven by different schools and teachers have been hard at work.

“Teachers have been hard at work all summer,” Driver said. “You know there is a level of excitement there and that is the way it is for all of us as educators. You look forward to the summer, but you look forward to getting back too.”

Driver said he is looking forward to several things this year, but one thing remains constant, preparing the students.

“I look forward to all of our schools improving in all aspects of our programs,” Driver said. “Obviously there is a new big assessment this year and that is going to be one of the challenges that we face. I heard that over the past nine years, there have been five new assessments. A lot of the reporting comes from this assessment. So, it is always a new challenge when we get a new one. I know that our folks are working hard towards preparing our kids. The daily part of educating the kids and preparing them for the future is always the constant in education. Regardless of the curriculum and testing requirements, what we do as educators is teach the kids and prepare them for the future.”