Kathy Focht probably figured she'd be in for some serious eye-drying duty Tuesday as she welcomed nearly 500 children to their first day of classes at their new school.

But, amazingly, Focht, principal of Lampeter Elementary School, encountered nary a damp peeper as the 5- to 8-year-olds arrived to begin the 2008-09 school year.

"It was fabulous," she said. "I could not believe the way the children came into school with such excitement and energy and an eagerness to get to their classrooms — and no one was upset.

"I think that was a first."

The 472 Lampeter Elementary students were among the roughly 3,300 pupils who returned to Lampeter-Strasburg School District's five schools Tuesday.

Tuesday also marked the first day of classes for Lancaster Catholic High School's 802 students, and several Catholic grade schools welcomed hundreds of youngsters back Monday and Tuesday.

Catholic High's first day went "extremely well indeed," principal Dermot Garrett said.

L-S superintendent Robert Frick said there were no problems Tuesday — save for a minor delay in getting youngsters on the right buses and headed home after their first day at the new elementary school.

"We underestimated the amount of time it takes for 5- through 8-year-olds to get onto the buses," he said. "If that's the worst problem we had, we had a pretty good day."

Focht said she expects the process to move more quickly in the coming days as students and bus drivers become more familiar with the routine and each other.

She said she was amazed at how confident students appeared as they arrived Tuesday morning.

"There was a magic in the air because these kids were so excited about their new school," Focht said.

Adorned with a bright blue roof and blue, white and red trim, Lampeter Elementary looks as if it were made of LEGOs®.

The colorful decor continues inside, with more than two dozen hues enlivening hallways, classrooms, the library and an unusual, centrally located "town hall-style" cafeteria.

The $18 million school was opened to support a new grade reconfiguration in which all students in kindergarten through grade two attend Lampeter and Strasburg elementary schools and grades three through five attend Hans Herr Elementary.

The district also closed the aging Willow Street Elementary over the summer, a decision many parents initially opposed.

To ease their transition to the new school, L-S last spring brought many of the students to see the building while it was under construction.

The district also held an open house Aug. 19 attended by more than 700 people and provided informal tours Monday for transferring students and their parents.

Teachers, administrators, secretaries, custodians and support staff members "have just poured their hearts into the school" to get it ready for Tuesday's opening, Focht said.

"I was nervous that everything wouldn't go the way everything was planned," she said. "But it went much better than I would have anticipated or expected. I can't say enough praises for the staff."

Today, about 4,000 Conestoga Valley School District students return to the classrooms.

Tuesday, Manheim Township schools will open for about 5,600 students, and more than 10,000 School District of Lancaster pupils will return.

Warwick students and McCaskey High School upperclassmen will be the last to begin the new school year, on Sept. 3.

E-mail: bwallace@lnpnews.com