Photo Provided Bridgeport Exempted Village School District welcomes new and returning students and their families during Bulldog Pride Night ahead of the first day of school Wednesday.

BRIDGEPORT — A river of blue and black and Bulldog shirts filled the halls of Bridgeport Exempted Village School District for Bulldog Pride Night on Monday, preparing students and staff for the first day of classes Wednesday.

New and returning students and their families greeted teachers, viewed classrooms and talked about their plans for the 2025-26 school year.

Ongoing construction of the multipurpose facility to be dubbed “the Bridge” was visible in front of the elementary school as a sign of things to come. The Bridge is expected to be completed before the end of 2026, opening its doors to new educational, training and health services.

School board member Karrie Puskas toured the halls with her son, Colton, who will be starting his junior year. She greeted both the students and several new teachers starting at Bridgeport schools.

“A lot of new faces definitely. Our enrollment’s up this year, so it’s exciting to have new students coming,” she said. “It’s an exciting time definitely to be a Bulldog.

“I just appreciate the staff and administration and the parents and community.”

She thanked community members for their patience during this time of growth while the Bridge is coming together.

Board member Ryan Kreiter also said the district is growing.

“There’s just a lot of enthusiasm for this school year. We have a lot of positive momentum as a district. It’s just a very exciting night to get the community together here, it truly is,” he said. “We’re proud to be Bulldogs and with the expansion of the Bridge underway in the middle of construction for next year, it just shows we’re moving in the right direction.”

Board President Patrick McConnaughy agreed.

“It’s a very exciting time for us to see the hallways filled with kids and the enthusiasm for the school year. The staff is super excited, as is the community, for the Bridge moving forward. We’ve picked up a lot of new faces, new students this year.”

Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher welcomed the incoming freshmen to the final leg of their education.

“It’s a brand-new start, a brand-new year for everybody. Some are starting high school for the first time,” he said. “We want to make sure we start them off on the best foot possible.”

Teachers turned out to greet families.

High school math teacher Mackenzie Krieger welcomed students and families as they prepared to start a fresh year.

“We have a large group of new students this year,” Krieger said. “Getting to meet them for the first time is nice.”

High school math teacher Lee Hines greeted students. He also looks forward to working with the new teachers.

“It’s always fun having Bulldog Pride Night, talking to the kids, what they did over the summer, what they’re looking forward to in the year, and then meeting incoming students and incoming parents,” he said.

Talented and gifted teacher Deborah Romick-Glynn said there was much to anticipate.

“The kids just make it all worth it,” she said. “I just had one parent tell me how beautiful she thought it was that we were such a community and how her kids are now in fifth grade and she’s seen them go through the school. She knows everybody already because her other kids have gone through. She said that was a wonderful thing, and I tend to agree.”

Hannah Boyer, who teaches government, world history and financial literacy as well as coaching softball, said students and teachers could not wait to get started.

“It’s really good to see everyone back and ready to have a great school year,” she said. “Everybody’s ready to go.”

Parent and assistant bowling coach Marlene Hilty said the future looks bright.

“There’s a lot of new faces here. I see a lot of new students, too. It’s going to be another good year. Even probably better than last year. We’re hoping to get more people into sports this year. A lot of these students, I think, would do really well at it.”

Parent Colwin Williams said there were a lot of great, highly motivated kids in the halls. He looked forward to the volleyball and basketball games.

“Just picking things up around here and getting on track, taking all the energy from the summer and pouring it into the books and classwork,” he said.

Mother Maria Wolfe and her family enjoyed familiarizing themselves with teachers and classes. She was interested in seeing the Bridge project’s completion.

Sophomore Jaydon Padgelek is a fan of the district’s athletic program.

“I’m excited for basketball — basketball season’s going to be fun — and looking forward to going to football games.”

Freshman Jackson Clark anticipated starting his high school career.

“I’m excited to see the new building and everything,” he said. “I think it’ll be pretty cool to see.”

Afterward, the crowd headed out to Perkins Field to meet the football, golf, volleyball and cross country teams. The evening concluded with a bonfire.