Monday was the first day of school for many students in the Santa Maria area.
At Adam Elementary School, students came back to find a surprise on the sidewalks as they walked to class.
Messages of support written in chalk helped students feel connected and inspired to walk with confidence into the new year.
Volunteers participated in the second annual "Chalk the Walk" event on Sunday.
"Whether they know us and know that they’re angels or whether they’re stepping foot on campus for the first time, I think they enter knowing that this is a safe, secure place where they will be loved, taken care of, and respected and that sets us all off on the right foot," said Laurie Graack, principal.
"I thought it was like amazing and like cool cause, this is like their first time doing it for like the 6th grade and I’m happy that they did it," said Naliyah Andeerson, sixth grader.
All schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District held their first day of classes on Monday.
