🏫 FIRST DAY, FIRST BELL, FIRST STEP: WELCOME TO THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR CICERO DISTRICT 99! 🎒

There's something about the first day of school that no other day can quite duplicate.

Maybe it's the brand-new backpacks. The freshly sharpened pencils. The spotless classrooms. The buses rolling through Cicero again. Or the annual family tradition of attempting to capture the perfect first-day photo while someone is inevitably reminding everyone, "We have to go!"

But underneath all that excitement, something much bigger happened today.

More than 7,800 students walked through the doors of Cicero District 99’s 14 schools and began a school year none of us can see yet. 

Think about that.

Somewhere in District 99 today, a student met a teacher who may change the way they see themselves. Someone sat beside a classmate who may become a lifelong friend. A nervous child walked into an unfamiliar classroom and discovered it wasn’t quite so scary after all. Someone opened a book that may spark a lifelong interest. And a student who hasn’t discovered what they’re great at yet moved one day closer to finding it.

That’s the magic of the first day: we know what happened today. We just don’t know yet what it will mean.

For our families, this morning also brought one of the greatest acts of trust that happens in our community each year. Parents and caregivers hugged their children, offered those last-second reminders and watched them walk through our doors.

They entrusted us with the people who matter most to them. We never take that lightly.

Waiting inside those doors was an entire District 99 team ready for them—teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, food service teams, nurses, security personnel, crossing guards, support staff and so many others.

Because a great first day doesn’t simply happen. People make it happen.

Now comes the part that matters even more: Day Two. And Day Three. And every day after that.

Attendance matters because every school day carries an opportunity that can’t simply be recreated tomorrow—a lesson understood, a friendship strengthened, a question asked, a teacher noticing something, a breakthrough nobody saw coming.

You never know which ordinary school day might become an extraordinary one. So this year, we want our students here for all of them.

Our 2026–27 theme is The Power of Purpose, and today that purpose could be seen throughout District 99: helping every child learn, grow, belong, discover and become.

The backpacks won’t stay this clean. The pencils certainly won’t stay this sharp. And tomorrow morning’s wake-up may already be slightly less exciting. 😄

But that’s okay. Because the goal was never simply to have a great first day. It’s to make every day that follows it count.

Today, 7,800 students walked through our doors. By the time they walk out at the end of this school year, our hope is that each leaves a little more knowledgeable, confident, curious and prepared than the person who entered today.

Day One is officially in the books, District 99. Now let’s make the rest of the story worth reading. The Power of Purpose starts here. And We Move Forward Together. 💙💛