It’s currently Sunday afternoon, Aug. 7, which means it’s less than 24 hours away from the start of a brand new school year.

First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll be on the McDowell Mountain Elementary School playground with camera in hand, taking photos of kids hopping off of buses, reuniting with best friends and eagerly lining up with their new classmates to march into the building for the first day of the 2016-17 academic year.

As in previous years, I’m expecting mostly cheers of excitement and only a few tears, coming in equal measure from youngsters who are a bit shy and don’t want to say goodbye to summer just yet, as well as moms and dads who are just as nervous, excited and a little bit sad to be letting them go.

It’s always interesting to me, watching these running, yelling, excited youngsters in their Spider-Man t-shirts, and reminding myself that they are just a few short years away from (fingers crossed) walking across a stage and accepting a diploma, ready to march out of town and off to that next big adventure in their lives.

Will that kid digging in the sand go off to college, trade school or directly into the work force?

Will the girl on the monkey bars become a senator, doctor, or maybe return to Fountain Hills to open her own business?

And how about that kid who just launched himself from a swing and landed face-first in the dirt? Will he one day become a great leader?

It’s crazy to think how much can change over the course of so little time, how many infinite possibilities are running around just one playground in the middle of a small Arizona community.

The mind reels!

Throughout the rest of the week, I’m going to try to stop by the rest of the local schools, including the Fountain Hills Charter School, Four Peaks Elementary School, Fountain Hills Middle School and Fountain Hills High School to say hello to the office staff, get acquainted with some new hires and generally slip back into “school year mode.”

It’s no secret that things die down a bit around town during the summer months. And by “a bit,” I really mean “a whole heck of a lot.” Board members go on vacation, clubs and organizations wind down operations, many of our residents hit the road and, in short, Fountain Hills becomes a pretty quiet place.

In that regard, the start of the school year always feels like an alarm clock going off, waking up the town from its summer nap as folks start to slowly but surely get back into the swing of things.

School buses will pour through town twice a day, five days a week. Kids will be seen playing sports, taking part in activities and hanging out around town. All of the local groups will start to host more events, kick start projects and the like.

Sure, our job around the office will go from zero to 60 practically overnight as the Town of Fountain Hills shifts back up into top gear, but it’s the kind of busy we’re happy to deal with.

We hope you’ve enjoyed your summer slumber, Fountain Hills, but the school bell is ringing and that means it’s time to get back to work!