Gloucester and Mathews public schools welcomed back students Monday morning for the 2022-2023 academic year, and the first day back went well, according to the two superintendents.

In Gloucester

Gloucester superintendent of schools Dr. Walter Clemons observed happy students and staff with his executive leadership team Monday as they filtered through the schools. He said that everybody seemed excited to be back in school.

“We had a really great day,” said Clemons. “I think things went very well.”

The school system recorded an enrollment of 4,686 students for day one, with the number of officially enrolled students expected to change over the next several weeks.

As for any issues experienced for the first day, Clemons said transportation is always challenging for the first few days but tends to stabilize quickly. One unusual mishap for the first day came when a sprinkler head went off at Page Middle School near the cafeteria. The students were evacuated and were allowed b...