Students, parents and teachers across South Florida were up bright and early Monday for the first day of school.
The earliest risers, bus drivers, hit the road on some 1,200 routes in Miami-Dade. The drivers will be picking up more than 64,036 students a morning.
"I'm excited," said driver Felecia Alston, headed for Miami Beach.
"It's a great day for Miami," said superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who greeted bus drivers and handed out snacks of apples and orange juice.
In Broward, fathers like Willie Hall participated in the "Million Father March" taking kids back to class. School leaders want to get fathers more involved in the classroom.
Hall brought his two daughters and son to Royal Palm Elementary with a smile on his face.
"Get ready for the madness," his daughter Laniyah said with a grin. She's going into 4th grade.
The county's top brass had a message for Laniyah and her classmates.
"I want to stress reading," said Broward's interim superintendent Donnie Carter.
