F.T. Norton/Nevada Appeal Zackery Kight gets a bear hug from his dad Daren Kight before kindergarten begins at Bordewich Bray on Monday. See more photos at nevadaappeal.com/photos
"You're all going to make me cry again," said veteran kindergarten teacher Michele Cacioppo to the anxious parents dropping off their children for the first day of school - ever - at Bordewich-Bray on Monday.
Cacioppo had just delivered her youngest to his first day of high school, shedding tears similar to those welling in the eyes of her audience.
Mothers smiled through tears as fathers, like Cristian Espinoza, fought back their own.
"I'm trying to be strong for him," said Espinoza.
Espinoza's boy Abraham sat in a circle around Cacioppo with his bottom lip pouting as far as it could go and tears running down his cheeks.
Espinoza just smiled quietly and nodded encouragement to his son. And when Abraham looked away for a moment, Espinoza quietly slipped out of the classroom.
"Higgely biggely bumblebee, will you say your name for me," sang Cacioppa as she pointed at each of the 27 students in her all-day kindergarten class.
Abraham, third in the circle, whispered his name and put his head in his hands. The group cheered and the song continued.
For the next 20 rounds he sat pouting, but on the 24th he mouthed some of the words.
On the 25th, he managed to whisper, "higgely biggely."
On the 26th, he sang the whole verse.
But when Cacioppo jumped up, put on a song and invited her tiny charges to dance, Abraham couldn't help but bust a move.
And there it was - he was a big boy now.
For most of the new students everyone was a stranger, except for Stella Johnson and Rachel Bush, best friends since preschool. They sat near one another, held hands on the grand tour of the room, and danced together.
When Stella was dropped off, mom Kristi Johnson was composed until someone asked how she was doing. Then the tears came in a flood. Embarrassed by the display, she and her husband David Johnson laughed as Stella looked on puzzled.
The suggestion that her mom was crying was silly.
"She's not sad," Stella scoffed, "her eyes are just wet."
Jen Wilson said she'd taken the day off to deliver her daughter Chloe to class, but hadn't planned on what she would do for the next seven hours.
"I'll guess I'll just kind of pace until 3 p.m.," she said.
Debra Steinberg and Grant Clowser's daughter Celina Steinberg, 5, hid behind her mom's dress before classes started.
But once on her own she talked with her classmates and even proved she was no pushover when she got up to leave a table and Zackery Kight suggested that was a good idea.
"Go ahead, I want to be by myself," Zackery ordered. "Go. Go."
Celina stopped, and without taking her eyes off Zackery, she slowly returned to the seat and sat back down.
They stared silently at each other for a while, then embarked on their first assignment, drawing a self-portrait on a paper plate.