NEW YORK - There was a mix of excitement and some nerves as students returned to One World Middle School in the Bronx for the first time since classrooms were closed in March.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza greeted students, parents and staff with elbow bumps.

Middle school is a tough time even without a pandemic going on — and for sixth graders it was also their first time in a new school. Normally it would be their first year changing classes, but due to the pandemic, their subject teachers will be coming to them instead.

One sixth grader, Jacob, said that after months of Zoom lessons, he was excited to start a new year in person.

“I’m feeling very happy and excited because I get to go back to school, and I get to meet new friends. And I feel like it’s just going to be a new journey for me,” he said.

His mom, meanwhile, was excited he’d get a more normal middle school experience, especially after losing out on so many parts of fifth grade.

“I wanted him to get the opportunity too actually come in and it was tough. Last year he didn’t get a graduation, senior trip, everything was canceled. So, I’m happy he’s going to get the middle school experience,” she said.

The return to school comes as cases of the coronavirus are rising in certain neighborhoods, and parents said that while they want their kids back in school, doing this during a pandemic does make them nervous.

But one mom said even though she had health concerns about her son, she just didn’t feel that she could keep him cooped up at home any longer.

“He’s asthmatic; he has allergies, so you know, he’s prone to a lot of stuff. School season is crazy for him. I didn’t really want him to go outside during the hard-hit of the pandemic. He hasn’t been outside for most of the summer,” said one mom. “So to keep from going to school would have been a whole other thing. I’m just trying to make sure that he’s safe and that we get back to life and some kind of normalcy.”

Some students were nervous, too — but they said they were worried about more typical things like making new friends. Maybe a sign that for some students things are getting a little closer to normal.