Montville  — The first day of school is a big event in a child's life. But for parents, the first day is a reminder that their little ones aren't so little and are starting to embark on the next phase of their lives — the school years.

Jay and Susan Kuhn stood with their 5-year-old son, Evan, in the playground of the Mohegan Elementary School Wednesday. It was Evan's first day of kindergarten.

And while the Kuhns were excited for their son, they were also visibly nervous.

"I've been up since 4 a.m. and I couldn't get back to sleep," said Susan Kuhn. "He's doing fine. I'm not."

Susan said Evan would be taking the school bus back home after the full-day session.

Unlike his parents, Evan seemed undaunted. He donned a Monster Jam backpack and put a big smile on his face.

Evan said he was looking forward to playing on the playground and meeting his teacher.

Amber Johnson was dropping her youngest child, 5-year-old Landon Johnson, for his first day of kindergarten.

Landon's sister Chloe is in the second grade and immediately went to play with her friends, but Landon stood close to his mom.

"He's very shy, but I know he's nervous and excited," said Amber Johnson. "Now, both my kids are in school. I don't know what I'm going to do. I may cry a little in my car."

Steve Webb was dropping off his 5-year-old son, Nathan, and promised that he'd stick around for as long as his son needed him.

Webb said the day had gotten off to a little rough start when Nathan got some toothpaste on his shirt, but things quickly changed for the better because Nathan really wanted to go to school.

"He said he's shy but wanted to see some of his friends from preschool," said Webb.

Nathan had a "PAW Patrol" backpack and said he was looking forward to playing outside.

A sea of yellow buses started to enter the Mohegan Elementary School parking lot around 8:20 a.m.

As children unloaded, their expressions ranged from happiness to sadness to shock.

Their Barbie, Minecraft and "Star Wars" backpacks were almost bigger than they were. But cheering them on as they got off the bus was school monitor Kendra Campbell.

Campbell gave hugs and high fives to almost every student.

"My adrenaline is pumped," said Campbell. "We're going to get them through this and let them know that they're safe and it's going to be a great day."

Principal Allison N. Peterson said as of Wednesday there were 343 registered students in the kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school.

She said the first day of school is about reassuring new students and alleviating any tensions that they may have.

"It went well," said Peterson of the early morning dropoff. "We had a lot of staff here to make sure the kids got to where they belonged."

Once the buses left and the students were escorted inside, many teachers spent the first part of the morning getting students familiarized with their classroom.

Inside Nicole Papuga's kindergarten class some students were happy to be there while some seemed nervous and one little boy was crying.

She gave the crying boy a hug and told him everything would be fine.

The first big decision they had to make was whether they wanted mozzarella sticks or peanut butter and jelly for lunch.

Some kids who brought food from home placed their lunch bags in a basket.

They also had to learn where to hang their backpacks in their cubby.

"The first day is about getting them acquainted with their classroom, letting them explore," said Papuga. "For many of them it's the first time they are in school ... so the key is to get them as comfortable as possible."

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta