Concerns about

changes in bus routes to elementary school students didn't completely

overshadow the opening day bright spots for Fayette schools on Monday.

According to

Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, school district spokesman, the county's two newest

schools opened almost flawlessly, even though both were facing unusual

circumstances.

At Crabapple

Lane Elementary in north Peachtree City, a Monday morning ribbon cutting

work from staff, parents and volunteers to get the school ready.

The fire marshal

okayed occupancy permits for the building just last Wednesday. Even so,

a scrubbed and polished Crabapple welcomed nearly 500 students in grades

K-5 Monday.

And few if

any glitches were reported on the first day of class at the county's newest

high school, Whitewater, which is hosting freshmen only this year at the

LaFayette Educational Center.

To prevent

the younger high schoolers from mixing with the 2,000-plus Fayette High

student population across the street, Whitewater students start and end

their day about 30 minutes earlier than the other high schools. As a side

result, traffic congestion around the school complex isn't as bad as some

had feared.

That wasn't

the case at McIntosh High, where workers were still laying sod and stripping

off parking spots Monday afternoon while two Peachtree City police officers

worked to move vehicles in and out of the school's newly configured parking

lots.

With a new

gym set to start construction this fall, a large section of the McIntosh

lot is off limits. The result is an obstacle-course-like traffic flow

that has seniors going one way, underclassmen another, and parents wanting

to pick up or drop of heading down the middle of a new central driveway.

District facilities

director Mike Satterfield was on the campus Monday afternoon trying to

work out a solution. Part of the problem Monday morning was general lack

of knowledge about where to go, a situation which forced McIntosh assistant

principals onto the street to welcome each student as they drove up and

to tell them which way to go.

Most concerns

about first-day traffic were dismissed as routine for the restart of school,

and things were expected to become somewhat normal by week's end, Berry-Dreisbach

suggested.

The district

welcomed nearly 21,000 students on the first day, despite it being the

earliest school year opening on record by a day.

Last year,

school started Aug. 12

Official first-week

enrollment reports will be available next week, Berry-Dreisbach said.