Hard to believe, but summer has already come and gone.

Next Tuesday, Aug. 8, school bells will ring once again, welcoming Fountain Hills students back to another year of learning, playing sports, taking part in various clubs and hanging out with their friends.

That’s an important date for me, too, because it means my job here at The Times will once again kick into high gear. I’ll be out at a couple of the local campuses shooting photos of the first day of school on Tuesday and then, for the next 10 months, it’ll be nonstop photos and stories on class projects, weekly sporting events, high-achieving students, presentations, special recognitions, School Board meetings and so much more.

Taking a trip around local campuses last week, I’m already getting a feel for some of the big stories that will be coming out of 2017-18. On top of all of the physical changes that have been made to the entrances of each FHUSD campus, both McDowell Mountain Elementary School and Fountain Hills High School have had a healthy injection of new technology on campus.

Over on the Middle School campus, students and teachers will be getting used to having grades 4-8 operate as a single entity, all under the guidance of new principal Linda McKeever.

My understanding is that the Charter School has made a few changes they’ll want to share in the coming weeks, and let’s not forget about that new EVIT campus located adjacent to the Boys & Girls Club, offering students both local and from neighboring communities new and exciting educational opportunities.

We’ll be digging into all of that in the coming months, and I’m sure I’ll find more than a few additional surprises along the way.

If you’re looking for additional details on what to expect from the upcoming school year, check out Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney’s column on this very page, as well as the stories running in this week’s school section, where local principals take a moment to share a few words of their own.

I enjoy my job year-round, but this time of year is always extra exciting. Everyone is just so happy to be getting back into the swing of things, implementing new programs and finding new ways to keep students focused, active and striving for success. Local stores are buzzing with back to school shopping and the town’s population seems to undergo an uptick as kids return from camp and families return from vacation.

In the coming weeks we’ll also be taking a look at the FHUSD maintenance and operations override that will appear on the November ballot, giving readers all of the details they need in order to be better informed before casting their ballot.

As a final note, don’t forget to check out the school calendars in the school section this week, followed by the new bus route the Transportation Department has put together for the coming year.

We’re looking forward to another big school year, and we hope local parents and students are sharing in that excitement.