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Richard Piatt ReportingIn Herriman the effects of a population explosion have trickled down to the youngest residents. That's why the first day of kindergarten meant a trip to the middle school for hundreds of kids.
The first day of kindergarten is a chance to show off that brand new backpack, but it's also a day full of apprehension, excitement, and emotion, and not just for the kids. Parents are saying farewell at the Fort Herriman Middle School,not the Herriman Elementary school.
Todd Madsen, Parent: "It's close enough that it seems pretty good. But this is day one, so we'll see how it goes."
Like other Utah cities, Herriman has experienced explosive growth. At Herriman Elementary there are five times as many kindergarteners today as there were seven years ago.
Rachelle Barron, Parent: "We're just being patient, it's a new subdivision, a new area. You kind of expect things like that when you move out there."
Fort Herriman Middle School has plenty of room for the new kindergarteners who have a separate entrance from the older kids.
These freshman kindergarteners will have their own area in the middle school. Doors separate the rest of the middle school from them. Essentially it is a school within a school. So far a few snags in transportation present the only challenges to this new arrangement.
Garth Anderson, Principal, Herriman Elementary School: "The route is new and the other thing is we've offered transportation to all students, whether they would normally qualify or not, because of our unique situation."
It's a unique situation that, to the youngest people involved, doesn't seem that that big a deal. Jordan School District has another school under construction in Herriman, but it won't be ready for another year.
