On Tuesday, Sept. 8, one student waves from her seat on a bus in Jay while others look out the window on the first day of school for Spruce Mountain schools. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Tuesday morning, Sept. 8, Spruce Mountain Elementary School secretary Rebecca Spencer greets a student on the first day of school. Students being dropped off by their parents are using a different building entrance this year. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Spruce Mountain schools returned to in-class learning on Sept. 8. At the Spruce Mountain Elementary School, music teacher Dan Labonte greeted students arriving by bus as they entered the school. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser