Pell City and St. Clair County schools began the semester on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

At Moody High School, many students already had their parking spots painted, ready to claim a new school year. In the morning students gathered to listen to teachers talk about policies and expectations.

This year many school officials are focused on returning to as normal as possible, and Eden Elementary is kicking off a new superhero program this year.

“This year we are all going to be superheroes for education, and as you walk around our building you can see all of the different things that teachers have done to create that happy atmosphere for our kids. We also just want to empower them to be great and to have a good year,” said Latoya Threatt, principal of Eden Elementary.

Teachers have adopted superheroes and “heroic” mantras that students identify with and learn. On Friday the school went over the mantras learned and associated with the super heroes during a pep rally.

“Really what we’re trying to do is build their confidence,” said Threatt.

In addition to getting kids excited about learning, they’ve also had a good start to the school year.

“The first day of school has been awesome this morning, parents were excited about being able to drop off their kids,” said Threatt.