The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Keeping a tradition alive, even during a pandemic

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Twenty-one-month Cecilia Mathes, along with her 4-year-old brother Zachary and her 6-year-old brother Connor, on Connor’s first day of kindergarten. (They’re the children of Andy and Erin Mathes, of Appleton, Wisconsin, and the grandchildren of Diane Kortus, publisher of The Laker/Lutz News.) (Courtesy of Andy and Erin Mathes)

Schools across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have rung in another school year  — with children breaking in their new shoes, sporting new haircuts and hauling nearly empty backpacks to classes on their first day of school.

Oh, of course, there were those traditional First Day of School Photos, too.

Here are some that families within our newspaper’s coverage area shared with us, so we could, in turn, share them with you.

There are a couple of photos, as well, of children from outside our coverage area: Publisher Diane Kortus shared the photo of her grandchildren, who live in Wisconsin, and contributor Doug Sanders shared the photo of his granddaughter, who attends prekindergarten in New Port Richey.

Rachel Kocsis is a second-grader at Denham Oaks Elementary.(Courtesy of Shelley H. Roth)
Rishaan Nair is in second grade at Sanders Memorial Elementary School. (Courtesy of Manpreet Kaur)
Rebekah Miller, on her first day as a junior at Sunlake High School. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Nykolus Di Roma marks his first day of third grade at Denham Oaks Elementary. (Courtesy of Sabrina Di Roma)
Nileah Rodriguez, on her first day of fifth grade at Sanders Memorial Elementary. (Courtesy of Jeff Rodriguez)
Nicholas Miller on his first day of eighth grade at Rushe Middle School. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Freedom High School English teacher and department head Megan Lewandowski on her first day of the 2021-2022 school year. (Courtesy of George O’Connor)
Second-grader Margaret Lewandowski, on her first day at Chiles Elementary. (Courtesy of George O’Connor)

 

Luna Stoltz on her first day of preschool at Mary’s House in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Jan Crowley)
Kindergartener Liliana Stephenson on her first day of school at Sanders Memorial Elementary. (Courtesy of Juliana Stephenson)
Julia O’Connor celebrates her first day of fourth grade at Sand Pine Elementary. (Courtesy of George O’ Connor)
Jonah Miller, on his first day as a second-grader at Oakstead Elementary. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Eleven-year-old Isabella Wilson on her first day of sixth grade at Rushe Middle School. (Courtesy of Billie Jo Wilson)
Sixteen-year-old Devlin Frost, a junior, and 14-year-old Griffin Frost, a freshman, on their first day of the 2021-2022 school year at Cypress Creek High School. (Courtesy of Vanessa Frost)
Four-year-old Derek Fillingham heading to his first day of prekindergarten at KidsRKids, in Wesley Chapel’s Meadow Pointe community. (Courtesy of Frank Hult)
Nine-year-old Daphne Fread, on her first day of fourth-grade at Pine View Elementary. (Courtesy of Jennifer Trimble)
Christopher ‘CJ’ Muniz, on his first day of kindergarten at Connerton Elementary. (Courtesy of Stephanie Muniz)

 

Cannon Frisco, 17, is a senior at Sunlake High School. (Courtesy of Tammy Frisco)
Brielle Leonard and Brandon Leonard attend Countryside Montessori. Brielle is in fifth grade and Brandon is in third. (Courtesy of Krystin Leonard)
Four-year-old Tensely Hannah Collito, on her first day at prekindergarten at Beacon Community Church, in New Port Richey. (She is the granddaughter of Doug Sanders, the contributor of Knowing Your History for The Laker/Lutz News.) (Courtesy of Alanah Jean Sanders)

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