HOWARDS GROVE, Wis. — The organized chaos of back-to-school was possibly a little more chaotic for students at Howards Grove Middle School on Tuesday morning.
Sofia Blodgett, a 5th grader, had her first day of middle school.
"Excited!" she answered when I asked her how she's feeling about the milestone. "Because this is a new school!”
Blodgett is right — this is the first time classes will be held in the new middle school. The new building opened officially a couple of weeks ago.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Howards Grove celebrates opening of new middle school
"I was very surprised and very excited," said Lexi Hansen, an 8th grader and student council president at Howards Grove Middle School.
"Because this is something we've been wanting for a very long time."
Hansen already got a sneak peek of the school before the first day, so she and her team could help direct students to their classes, even 8th-grade returners like Kylie Sixel and Alayna Engelman.
Watch: Howards Grove Middle School students celebrate first day back in brand-new building
"The cafeteria with all the windows and stuff...It looks really nice and neat," Sixel said.
"The stairs, because we didn't have that at our last school," Engelman said.
New classrooms with new tech and seating options are all designed for more adaptive learning. A fan favorite among students is the gymnasium.
"You can fit three basketball games," Blodgett said.
As quickly as the chaos came, it went. Just a few minutes after the bell, students were in their seats and ready to start class in this new environment.
When asked what advice they would give to someone nervous about their first day, students offered reassuring words.
"It's nothing to be really worried about because you get used to it after a while," Hansen responded.
"I would say it's not that scary, and it goes by really fast," Sixel added, while Engelman added, "You just need to live it out. There's no reason to be stressed about classes or homework or anything because at the end of the day, it's all going to work out."
Blodgett smiled big: "It's a new school, you shouldn't be nervous. And plus, I'm here to help!"
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
