Students back in action at Belmonte

SAUGUS – Hordes of kids and their parents flooded the front entrance of the Belmonte Middle School Wednesday afternoon as a line of cars packed Dow Street and backed up onto Denver Street.The first day of school was over, and according to many parents, it went off without a hitch despite the ongoing construction.Stacy Billingsley was picking up her seventh-grade son Christian and said she was happy with the way the day was handled, while her son said the construction wasn?t distracting “at all.”?There?s a lot of construction and stuff and a lot of new technology going on, but there was no dust, no nothing,” he said.Principal Kerry Robbins said the day was “awesome,” despite the construction and the downpours.?As soon as it was time for us to let the kids in at 7:30, the sun came shining so everyone came in and it wasn?t raining, and it was great,” said Robbins. “It was a really great first day. You would have no idea there was construction going on here. None.”Robbins commended all the companies involved and said she?s in constant contact with project managers.?They?re good,” she said. “They do all the loud work in the morning and other than that, we already have everything lined out. It?s been excellent.”School Committee member Arthur Grabowski watched the school open Wednesday morning and said he was “greatly impressed” with the organization and cleanliness of the school.?The hallways were immaculate and the work areas were absolutely, totally blocked off,” said Grabowski. “The only access to the work areas are from the outside. The traffic was a problem because of the rain ? but I thought it went off remarkably well. I watched the whole thing and I thought it was a great day.”Wednesday wasn?t just the first day of school, it was also Robbins? first day as interim principal after taking over in the summer. Former principal Geoff Bruno was named Director of Curriculum, Accountability and Instruction for the entire district.?It was amazing,” she said of her first day. “It?s so nice to be back in school with the kids in the building. That?s definitely the reason I got into education. They all seemed really happy. Kids crave structure, they would never admit that, but once they get back into their routine, it?s a really good atmosphere. I think the staff has a lot to do with that. It?s a really upbeat and dynamic group of teachers.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].