MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Most sat on the edges of their seats, anticipating the final bell of the 2003-2004 school year.
But not everyone facing a long summer vacation was thrilled about it. A few kids expressed regret. One or two even cried.
For more than 3,000 students attending the five elementary schools aboard Camp Pendleton, this week marked the end of the school year. June 10 was the last day of school for Fallbrook Unified School District schools on base — namely Mary Fay Pendleton and San Onofre.
Three Oceanside Unified schools ended their year a day earlier.
On both days, an early afternoon bell — the signal to unleash flocks of children down local sidewalks to waiting school buses — reintroduced the start of another summer of days at the pool, trips to amusement parks and long vacations.
"Today is a day full of excitement, as well as uncertainty," explained Patricia Cuevas, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Stuart Mesa Elementary School here. "The students have a hard time letting go. Many of them want to stay in the classroom during recess.
"I'm looking forward to the end of the school year, but I do think about my students throughout the summer, wondering what they are doing."
For kindergartners and fifth-graders, the final bell signified the end of a precious period within their childhoods and the transition into grade school and junior high, respectively.
Some of the students — like Jordan McGuire — have spent all of their elementary school years at the same schools.
"It's been really fun here," said McGuire, who graduated from the fifth grade June 9 at Stuart Mesa. "I've been here since kindergarten. I'm going to miss my friends."
With military families constantly on the move, most children of service members must adjust to changing schools every few years.
"It's kind of hard moving every couple of years," said McGuire, whose family is preparing for a permanent change of station to Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. "But it's easy to make friends when you go to school on military bases because they are in the same situation."
Students spent the day like any other — attending morning classes, playing with friends and eating their lunches.
Teachers attempted to enforce rules and regulations until the final bell — from hushing vociferous banter to imposing consequences for misdeeds.
One young boy sat forlornly on a bench outside an administrator's office.
"I was a bad boy," he explained somberly.
Anticipation filled the air in the afternoon. Children chatted freely as they waited to receive their report cards. Classroom structure seemed more relaxed than usual; children regularly entered and exited the classroom without asking for permission.
While most students will spend the next two months at pools, playgrounds and parks, some schoolteachers will stay busy honing their trade for next year.
"I'm going to be reading manuals on reading improvement and strategy, and working on the fourth-grade reading curriculum throughout the summer," said Anne Scruton, a fourth-grade teacher at Stuart Mesa.
All three Oceanside Unified schools here celebrated the closing of the 2003-2004 school year as winners. North Terrace, Santa Margarita and Stuart Mesa received the California Distinguished School Award May 28, a four-year award based on student performance, test scores and other distinguishing factors, said Maj. Samuel P. Pelham, Camp Pendleton's school liaison officer.
While Pendleton schoolchildren will enjoy the summer in a variety of ways — everything from visiting Legoland, Disneyland and Sea World to just "being lazy" — everyone will have the same plans on Aug. 30: Go back to school.