Lebanon -- In the hallway of Hanover Street School yesterday morning, visitors overheard a snippet of a song coming from Judy Jorgenson's second-grade classroom.

“Good morning, good morning to you,” went the song. “The day is beginning, there's so much to do.”

A lot had been done already to prepare for the first day back to school in Lebanon, and for the most part, the morning went smoothly.

When the Lebanon School Board resolved in March to close two small elementary schools and consolidate grades K-6 in three buildings, many in the community doubted whether there was time to carry out the plan during the summer break.

Consolidating the schools involved moving grades K-2 from School Street School and Sacred Heart Public School into Hanover Street School, and grade four from Seminary Hill School to Mount Lebanon School. About 40 teachers had to pack up and move into different rooms. At Seminary Hill School, two temporary buildings had to be erected in the parking lot to add classroom space.

This year, 232 fifth- and sixth-graders are attending Seminary Hill, compared with 153 last year, according to Principal Martha Langill.

Two fifth-grade classes are occupying the temporary classrooms in the parking lot.

At 8 a.m., yesterday, the fifth-graders were with their teachers inside the modular buildings. Their backpacks were left outside on the freshly built wooden deck.

Contractors were still completing a set of stairs leading up to the deck. Project manager Shawn Rogers said that he worked there until 9:30 the night before, and that his men had returned to finish the job at 6:30 a.m. He said they would be done after putting spindles on the stair railings.

Langill said it was a relief to start school after a hectic summer.

The only hitch yesterday morning had been had been traffic congestion, she said. Many parents drove their children to school, and there had been a long line of cars waiting to leave parking lot.

“We had a few parents who weren't too happy about that,” she said.

Fifth- and sixth-graders from the Lebanon side of the district can ride a shuttle from Hanover Street to Seminary Hill.

Hanover Street Principal Scott Bouranis said in an interview yesterday that the shuttle's first run went well, but he expected the second day to be a better test of the system. “Today was a little light,” he said.

More parents than usual drive their kids to school on the first day, he said.

Bouranis, formerly principal of School Street and Sacred Heart, said the staff at Hanover Street made extraordinary efforts during the move.

He said he was struck by the amount of work accomplished just in the past day.

“I'm just amazed at how much stuff got out of the hallways,” he said.

Last Wednesday, the gymnasium at Hanover Street was packed with boxes, desks and play equipment. Yesterday, the gym floor was mostly clear. Some furniture was piled against a wall on one side of the gym, and hundreds of flattened cardboard moving boxes were stacked on pallets.

The budgeted costs of the consolidation plan allowed teachers two days' extra pay for packing and unpacking.

“I'd say the average teacher worked at least 15 days to get their rooms ready,” Bouranis said.

At an open house in the school last Wednesday, kindergarten teacher Bonnie Bergeron said she had worked seven hours a day for a month to set up her classroom. She was transferred from School Street School, where she said she had taught in the same classroom for 27 years.

Parent Margit Berman came to the open house with her son, a first-grader. His class would have gone to School Street this year, but Berman said she was content with the change to Hanover Street. “It's nice to have them in this facility.”

Another parent at the open house last week, Amye Mason, said she was disappointed that her third- and fifth-grade children would not go to school together at Hanover Street, as they would have had the consolidation not happened.

She also said she was “not impressed with the organization of the busing issues.” Busing requirements mean that Seminary Hill starts the school day at 7:40 a.m., 35 minutes earlier than Hanover Street.

Mason said she would drive her fifth-grade daughter to Seminary Hill in the morning.

“I have no intention of putting my daughter on a bus at ten of seven,” she said.

Superintendent Mike Harris, Assistant Superintendent Shirley Ferguson and five Lebanon School Board members followed Bouranis on a tour of Hanover Street yesterday morning.

Board member Andy White, who early this year questioned the timing of the consolidation plan, remarked that the school looked clean and well organized.

“I'm thoroughly impressed,” he said. “The kids are going to be fine.”

Of the three elementary schools, consolidation affected Mount Lebanon the least. The addition of a fourth-grade class did not cause any crowding, said Toni Vendetti, secretary to the principal.

“It's actually fine,” she said.

This year the school has 250 children enrolled, compared with 220 last year. Vendetti said the school has accommodated as many as 300.

Interim Principal Chuck Stone greeted parents at the door yesterday morning. Stone said that Principal Michael Foxall is recovering from surgery, but is expected to return to work later this month.

A few parents lingering in the Mount Lebanon parking lot said that the morning drop-off time was more orderly than they'd anticipated.

“It seemed to be pretty quiet,” said Marcia Klungler, mother of a first-grader. “I thought it was going to be pretty crazy in the parking lot.”

Martin Downs can be reached at mdowns@vnews.com or (603) 727-3210.