Granard Middle School sixth grade students open their new lockers Monday while learning the ropes on their first day of the new school year. (Ledger photo / SCOTT POWELL) Shortly after midnight Sunday, maintenance workers completed repairs on the Gaffney High School air conditioning system.

Maintenance personnel worked long hours Sunday to get the air conditioning system running so students could start the new school year in cool, comfortable classrooms. This proved to be one of the few glitches of getting the 2010-2011 school year kicked off.

Interim Cherokee County Superintendent Kim Bagwell began her morning on duty at Limestone-Central Elementary. She volunteered to watch the school while new principal Chad Hudson took his daughter for her first day in kindergarten class.

Bagwell dropped her youngest son, Jordan, off to start his tenth grade year at Gaffney High School. She spent the rest of the day visiting county schools to look at class sizes and to see if principals needed assistance with any issues.

“We had a very smooth start to the school year,” Bagwell said. “We appreciate the hard work our teachers, school administrators and staff put in over the weekend to get ready for school. It went like clockwork. It felt like students never left school.”

Enrollment reports filled out by schools showed 8,631 students enrolled on the first day of school. Officials expect that number to increase significantly over the next several weeks as 4- year-old kindergarten programs begin and new students come in from out of state.

The school district hired 40 new teachers this year and has eight new principals.

Granard Middle Principal Mark Bunch started his new job just two weeks before the school year opened. He replaced Shirley Sealy, who moved cross town to Gaffney Middle.

The other new principals include Chad Hudson (Limestone-Central Elementary), Nan Ruppe (Luther Vaughan Elementary), Deborah Hamrick (Blacksburg Primary), Audrey McClary (Mary Bramlett Elementary), Rita Martin (Blacksburg Elementary), Ashley Clary (Grassy Pond Elementary) and Janice Keller (Goucher Elementary).

All principals had arrived to open the school buildings by 7:10 a.m.