By Mary O’KEEFE

There will always be a few butterflies in the stomach on the first day of school whether it is your last “first day” as a senior in high school or your very first day as a kindergartener. The first day of school follows along the line between excitement and concern.

“I don’t know,” said Zachary Hallak of what to expect on the first day of kindergarten at La Crescenta Elementary School.

He does have an older brother who has told him what to expect but it is still a mystery to him of what will really happen once he steps into the school hallway.

He is excited about learning to read but is more comfortable with other subjects.

“I like math the most,” he said.

But leaving home means leaving some of his favorite things behind.

“I like to play with my trains; my trains have batteries and I drive them. I like LEGOs, too,” Zachary said, detailing a long list of other toys he likes to play with at home.

He hopes in kindergarten there will be some time to play with trains or maybe even learn about trains.

Zachary is also excited about meeting new friends.

“He really is excited about school,” said Zachary’s dad Gabriel. “He [turns] his bedroom into a classroom and pretends I am the student.”

Zachary may come by that talent naturally as his dad is a social studies teacher at a charter school where he teaches world history, civics and economics.

“I am super excited about [Zachary] starting school,” Gabriel said.

Zachary and his family will be learning more about La Crescenta Elementary and meeting fellow kindergarten classmates at an upcoming orientation. Then his education will continue when Zachary finds out how cool it is to learn – especially when he learns to read about trains.

  Mary Okeefe