LEWISTON — The sun was shining and the breeze was light Wednesday morning as parents, grandparents, younger siblings and school staff waited for buses to arrive at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston.

Once the buses rolled in and vehicles carrying the children arrived, there were welcoming comments all around.

It was an exciting time for the children and others throughout Lewiston and Auburn who were celebrating the first day of school.

Amy Cobb of Lewiston held the hand of Delaney, 5.

Delaney, who will start kindergarten next week in a different school system, was eager to go to school; she thought it was her day.

Cobb and her parents, Cindy and Bud Nelson of Lewiston, were waiting for her daughters and their granddaughters, Brynn, 8, who is starting third grade, and Hallie, 6, who is a first grader, to arrive with their father.

“They like school,” she said. “It’s really good to get them back into a routine.”

It was hard to tell if the adults or children were more excited.

“It’s so exciting,” Cindy Nelson said. “We love being grandparents. I am retired so I can spend as much time with them as possible. They grow up so quickly.”

Nelson attended the Farwell Street school as a child. She planned to bake brownies for a treat when the girls get home after school.

“Being a grandparent can be more enjoyable than being a parent at times,” Bud Nelson said.

Once the children arrived, it was photo time.

Mason Goulet, 6, who was starting first grade, had space symbols on his new backpack as he waited with his family outside the school for classes to start. He nodded his head to indicate he liked school and was excited to go.

“It has been a long summer,” his father, Joshua Goulet, said.

Erin Bunce, a coordinator for the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, was outside the school greeting children and adults.

The education center is transitioning its program from Portland to Lewiston public schools following a vote by its board in April.

“Lewiston has been very, very welcoming to us,” Bunce said.

Bridget Fitzgerald, an education technician at the school, fist-bumped with a child when he came up to a group of staff members. She is “super excited” about the collaboration with the Baxter School, hoping that it helps children who are hearing impaired have more opportunities in education.

She was not the only one ready to go Wednesday.

“New backpack, new haircut, new shoes and tallness,” Nikki Job, an educational technician in a specialized education program, said to a boy as he walked up to staff members. “We missed you all summer.”

“We’re just welcoming them back positively,” Jim Cliffe, an assistant principal, said.

Soon it was time to start classes.

As the children started walking into school, Bud Nelson yelled, “Love you, Brynn. Love you, Hallie.”