After a well-deserved winter break, area schools are gearing up for the start of the spring semester.

Students, teachers and faculty are likely savoring the final days of their vacation, but several area principals are ready to settle back into their academic routines.

For instance, Brookhaven Academy Elementary Principal Page Nelson can’t wait to welcome back her freshly rested pupils.

“As we enter the 2018 school year, I challenge our students to perform at their best and accept every challenge with optimism, knowing that we have an audience of one at all times,” she said.

BA will be the first local institution to recommence coursework, starting Wednesday, and Lincoln and Copiah County schools, which reopen Thursday, will follow closely behind it.

Bogue Chitto Principal Scott Merrell is especially enthusiastic about what lies in store for his students.

“I’m extremely optimistic about the new semester,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of new things at Bogue Chitto to help our students succeed. Their futures are always my foremost concern.”

Likewise, Robin Case, the principal at Loyd Star Attendance Center, looks forward to building on her school’s success.

“We are very excited about the second semester,” she said. “Our students worked very hard the first semester, and we expect that to continue when we return. I hope all the students, teachers and staff have enjoyed their time off and everyone is reenergized as we return.”

West Lincoln Principal John Shows will also be glad to get back to work, and he had some particularly poignant words of wisdom for the children of his school.

“I’m excited about the students coming back,” he said. “One of the best things they can do during a break is read. It helps hone vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Always read something you enjoy and are interested in.”

The Mississippi School of the Arts and the Brookhaven School District will begin their spring semesters Friday, and Franklin and Lawrence county schools will reconvene Monday.

MSA Executive Director Suzanne Hirsch anticipates plenty of student self-expression in the coming term.

“The spring semester is when the students demonstrate the work they’ve done all year,” she said. “So, we’re really excited about that. I hope they got a lot of rest over the break, because they’re going to need it.”

Brookhaven High School Principal David Martin also anticipates a busy, productive semester.

“I’m hoping everybody had a good, relaxing break and that the kids are ready to get back to work,” he said. “The spring semester is always a big one for us.”