In her 23 years of teaching, Deborah Staples has never been this excited for a class to step into her classroom for the first time.
It's the first time that has ever happened in February, though. And, as expected, the kindergarten room at East Linden Elementary School looks a little different this year.
But much has also stayed the same, if you look beyond the spaced-out desks topped with plastic barriers and the jug of hand sanitizer ready to greet students at the doorway.
There is still a bookshelf stuffed with stories and a vibrantly colored alphabet fastened on the wall. Each desk has a name tag, shaped like a sneaker, and bulletin boards are decorated bright blue, one adorned with a giant cutout of book character Pete the Cat.