Luke Pierce woke up Tuesday to what may have been the most important morning of his 5-year-old life. He was starting school.

Luke, the son of Sam and Kellie Pierce, was looking forward to starting kindergarten at St. Francis Xavier Elementary, his mother said.

“He was excited,” she said. “He was ready to go.”

With youngest brother Sam, 3, away at his grandmother’s, Luke and his older brother Clay, 7, started their day at 6:30, getting dressed, brushing their teeth and eating breakfast.

“It went smoothly,” she said. “They didn’t fuss and fight.”

The easy morning left time for the boys to play and still arrive at school early.

Luke was so excited for school he was telling his older brother where his classes were, as if he didn’t know.

When Luke was asked if he was excited to be at school with his brother, he said yes.

Sam joined Kellie and the boys to see Luke off for his first day of kindergarten.

“We walked in, found his name, he sat down in his chair, and I said ‘Bye buddy, I love you’ and he said ‘bye,’ and his dad said the same,” she said. “He never missed a beat.”

Kellie said the first day of school was easier this time.

“With Clay, so many people told me I was going to cry,” she said. “I said, ‘No, I’ll be fine,’ but I did. It was really emotional.”

Kellie said Clay cried and screamed when she had to leave him for his first day.

“With Luke, he just went on in,” she said. “It was easy to let him go. He seemed happy and at home.”

Kellie said she thinks having an older brother there helped Luke feel more comfortable, adding Clay walked Luke to his class.

“Clay was excited to walk Luke to his class,” she said. “He might do that every morning.”

Luke said he liked school and his teacher, Lori Tzotzolas, was good. He ate all of his lunch and sat beside his friend Jack Smith.

“I almost got the top straws,” he said. “I’ll get more tomorrow, then I’ll go to the treasure box.”

Luke was referring to the straw process in his class, a system designed to encourage positive behavior. He said he was going to miss his parents and little brother, but he was “having too much fun.”

Luke had a smooth transition into his first day of class, and he said he’s most looking forward to walking himself down the hall alone.

Kellie said she thinks her youngest child, Sam, 3, is going to be the most challenging, but she said the older brothers are protective over him.

“They’ll both be there to watch over him when he starts,” she said. “It’s probably going to be an emotional day.”

As for Sam, he said he’s excited to join his brothers at St. Francis in a few years.