Barrow students back from stunted summer break

The familiar sound of school bells rang throughout the halls in Barrow County, Commerce City and Jefferson City schools on Monday, signaling for hundreds of students the time to head back to classes.

For students like Keyanna Dottin, 13, who had a shorter summer break than most, waking up early to catch the bus for Winder-Barrow Middle was bittersweet.

Summer flew by so fast it hardly seemed like a break at all, she said.

"This was like our shortest summer ever," Dottin said. "The only boring part is you didn't get to hang out with all your friends that much, so that's one good thing about being back at school."

Barrow County school administrators were forced to delay the start of the 2008-09 school year - and the end - in order to finish up some construction projects, making students the last in the region to start summer break in June.

To get back on track, students started earlier than most others in the region this year and will go until May 21, schools spokeswoman Lisa Leighton said.

This summer's schedule gave students nine weeks of a break before returning to the daily routine.

Although the school board has yet to approve a calendar for the 2010-11 school year, next summer's break most likely will be longer, Leighton said.

"They're definitely going to have a longer summer," Leighton said. "That's a given."

Teachers, too, had to put behind them one of the most stressful summers in recent memory - highlighted by talk of budget cuts and employee furloughs - to welcome back students and ease them back into the routine, handing out new textbooks, expectations and assignments.

The first day of school is c

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