Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  At first it seemed like chaos. The buses lumbered in, the students clambered out, clutching armfuls of bags, leaning forward against the weight of the packs on their backs and looking this way and then that, trying to find someone they knew, like their best friends or favorite teacher.

Last Thursday was the first day of school for Nederland Elementary students and end of summer reunions can be screechingly happy or quietly nervous, demanding on how old or new the student is.

Principal Jeff Miller and teachers waited in the entrance, greeting the children as they rushed through the doors. The fourth and fifth graders were herded into the cafeteria, where the noise level defied decibel counting.

Many of the children were escorted into the building by parents who carried plastic Target bags loaded with kleenex, pillows, snacks, and assorted items that were on the list; supplies to get the kids through the days. In many cases, there were hurried hugs as the students struggled to get on with the first day excitement; in other cases, there was hand clutching, tenuous moves, fear of approaching the doors that would swallow them whole; strangers, unfamiliar halls, new rules, and new teachers.

And then the buzzer sounded and the school and the kids in it grew quiet and settled into classrooms. Pandemonium peaked and dwindled as a sense of order prevailed.

After attendance was taken and students and teachers said hello to each other, everyone marched back outside in an orderly fashion, grade by grade, gathering around the flagpole. Gleaming black and polished, a large bell rested on its trailer, ready to be the guest of honor.

Danny and Linda Glasser greeted the children. The Glassers, along with other members of their family, are responsible for rescuing the grand old bell from a dusty demise. The bell used to be the clarion call for Nederland kids to hurry up and get into their classes before they were late. It was located in the old school building that is now the Nederland Community Center.

Refurbished, the bell attends special events, especially school-related events, and peals its rich tone over the Nederland valley.

On Thursday, after the whole school pledged allegiance to the flag, the teachers each had a chance to ring the massive bell as their students cheered them on. The toll went on and on, a happy sound, a welcoming sound, a first-day-of school sound.

After the last reverberation, everyone filed back into the building, ready to go to work. It was as if summer had never even happened.