It was “picture day” for students at Northampton Area High School Sept. 1, the first day of in-person class instruction for the 2020-21 school year.

And the big picture, as one Northampton Area School District staff member put it, is “we will get through this.”

The secondary schools campus along Laubach Avenue in Northampton was alive with activity Sept. 1 as NASD implemented its hybrid model of education for the 2020-21 school year, which began Aug. 31 with remote learning.

With a spring in their step, a gleam in their eye and, presumably, a smile behind their face masks, students, with the permission of their parents and guardians, headed back to NASD schools in Northampton and Bath boroughs and Lehigh and Moore townships.

A line of vehicles in the front parking lot dispatched students to the NAHS entrance doors.

Buses, some 55 in all, were bumper to bumper along Kids Way before the high school and middle school students were dropped off at the bus loop at Northampton Area Middle School.

One of the activities, “picture day,” was in the NAHS auditorium, where students sat and lined up, socially distanced.

Said Tina Vozzo, NAHS instructional assistant, as she looked out over the students waiting their turn for photographs to be taken for ID cards: “We are one team, NASD united. We will get through this.”

Doug Fehnel, NAHS physical education department coordinator and assistant coach of the girls volleyball team, was similarly upbeat.

“Just looking forward to another school year,” said the 22-year-veteran teacher as he helped direct vehicles of parents dropping off students at the NAHS parking lot, “and hoping we can get back to all in-person.”

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said, “It’s going terrific for the first day. We’ll make some tweaks after the first week.”

Approximately 25 percent of NASD’s 5,500 students opted for Kids eLearning and Northampton Cyber Academy, with 600 of 1,900 students at NAHS and 500 of 740 students at NAMS attending in person.

“It’s going well,” said NAHS Principal Luke Shafnisky, assisting students outside the front entrance. “Our goal was to space out and distance the kids as they go into the buildings.”

Throughout NASD, students attend in person Tuesdays and Thursdays or Wednesdays and Fridays, with all students at home Mondays.