School is officially back in session, and it seems the halls are bustling with more students than ever before. There are crowds in classrooms, the cafeteria and locker bays, and the student-to-locker ratio has become insufficient, leaving many upperclassmen with no lockers to put their belongings in unless they request one. Students have been getting used to their teachers and expectations for the new year.

“My first week of school was pretty good,” junior Luanna Peraldo said. “When I first walked in, though, it was pretty crowded in the halls, probably because of the over-enrollment with the freshmen.”

Many teachers started teaching and assigning homework right away to avoid not having enough time to finish their curriculum or having to rush students to complete a huge amount of learning in a short period of time, but a number of students weren’t too happy with this decision.

“It was a little hard because we started with homework right away, but it was fun to see my friends in all my classes,” junior Hajjer Amer said. “My AP classes are really hard.”

Staff members are very enthusiastic about school being back in session and are excited to see old and new faces at Chantilly.

“It’s always great when the students come back to the school,” Director of Student Activities Corey Bowerman said. “It’s quiet here over the summer. You throw 2,800 students in here; it gets pretty lively pretty quick.”

The first weeks back to school provide many opportunities for learning and seeing old friends while meeting new people.

“I’m always excited for the first week of school because that’s the beginning of the new year,” Assistant Principal Mary McDowell said. “I love seeing all the students come back. I love seeing the teachers come back. I love hearing about what students did over the summer, and it’s a fresh new start for everybody to have a good year.”