Students lined up outside the main entrance to Duarte High School cheering and welcoming classmates as they entered for their first day of school Wednesday.

About 40 students from the school’s ASB and Cheer team gathered outside the school entrance, holding pompoms and welcome signs while yelling school chants and cheering their fellow classmates as they made their way into the building.

Throughout the school hallways, especially in the quad, welcome posters hung on the walls, also as a way to welcome students back.

Duarte High Principal Luis Haro said he’s really excited to be welcoming students back, and that there’s a lot of high energy in the air.

“It seems like the kids, too, are really energized and ready, so I’m excited,” he said.

Besides being happy to see kids back on campus, administrators said they’re looking forward to having students return to a new normal after COVID-19 caused schools to shut down and turn to remote learning in 2020.

This will be the second school year the school returns to in-person learning.COVID-19 is always going to be in the back of his mind, but that it’s a new reality that they have to live with, Haro said.

“But I look at the bright side,” he said. “We have kids back participating in academics but also in extracurriculars, they’re playing sports. So that makes me happy seeing students back to their youth.”

Haro added that the turn to remote learning hit the high school hard. There district saw some learning loss during the year and a half students were at home. But last year’s return to in-person learning led to filling some of the gaps and prevented new ones from forming, officials said.

This year, some gaps still remain, but Haro said he remains optimistic that students are getting back on track to be ready for their careers and for college.

Nathalie Umaña, a community school program specialist, said that students have had to face a lot of interruptions during the pandemic. It’s nice to return to a semblance of normalcy.

“I think one of the nicest things is seeing students sort of returning to normal,” she said. “I think they’ve had so many interruptions.”

She added that last year’s return to campus introduced students to traditions that were paused during the pandemic, and that this year it will be another year to get students to learn those traditions.

Russ Earnest, Duarte High associate principal, shared the same sentiment.

He said they’re looking forward to reestablishing some of the traditions and culture that existed before the pandemic, such as participating in early college, sports, clubs, band, other activities and “traditional high school programs.”

Several students said they’re looking forward to some of the programs the school offers.

Sophomore Genesis Mathenia said she’s looking forward to being in Color Guard, sophomore Hannah Malone said she’s looking forward to playing soccer and senior Kirstin Ellis said she’s looking forward to all the dances throughout the year — such as homecoming, Sadie Hawkins and prom.

“I’m just excited,” Ellis said. “I feel like it’s gonna go by really quick because then it’s Thanksgiving break, Christmas, prom and then you’re done. (I’m) scared it’s gonna go by really fast.”

Wednesday wasn’t the first day of welcoming celebrations for the high school.

On Tuesday, the school hosted a general assembly at the Duarte Performing Arts Center, where the school’s drumline, cheerleaders and ASB students helped kick off the school year.

Overall, it feels good to see students be back on campus, Earnest said.

“This year just feels super-positive,” he added.