Christa McAuliffe Charter Elementary principal Jacquelin Collins greets students and parents on the first day of school Wednesday. MICHAEL PISTELLA

West Zone schools are reporting a good first day of school in Lwee County.

“First day is amazing,” said North Fort Myers High School Principal Jeff Spiro. “All the buses came on time, we had the students in class ready to go by 7:10 a.m., and the teachers are already deep in their instruction. It’s been a great day.”

Students, he said, are happy to be back.

“Opening day morning went really well for us,” said Cape Coral High School Principal Matthew Mederios. “The parent pick-up/drop off line moved efficiently and smoothly, and only one bus was late. Our custodial crew did a fantastic job in preparing our building for the opening of school after the HVAC renovations this summer. We were extremely impressed with the attitudes and behaviors of our students. Our students’ familiarity with the building and finding the location of their classes, including the ninth graders, was a direct reflection of our record turnout at Open House.

“Overall, we did not experience any hiccups, and we are very excited about the initiatives we have targeted to improve student learning and academic achievement this school year. This should be a great year at Cape Coral High School!”

Christa McAuliffe Charter Elementary kindergarten teacher Sue Stafford instructs Ava White on the first day of school Wednesday. MICHAEL PISTELLA

Joe Donzelli of the Lee County School District said he has been tweeting updates all morning, and parents can follow along.

Christa McAuliffe Charter Elementary kindergarten student Jackson Hinkle gets a hand at adjusting his backpack from his dad Chris at the beginning of the first day of school Wednesday. MICHAEL PISTELLA