BUFFALO, N.Y. — Saturday morning saw a nice boost to get Burgard High School students into the new school year.

The school held a backpack handout today on Kensington Avenue, with the help of the mental health grant Project Aware. 

Students received a free backpack with school supplies, academic coursework, and safety materials. 

Members of the Buffalo Public Schools IT department were there to help with computer and login issues.

"We have a lot of new students who transitioned from 8th grade to 9th grade. This is their first experience with high school. Virtual learning is totally different from face-to-face instruction, so we want to give them as much support as we can to help them be successful in their classes," said Burgard High School assistant principal Eric Johnson.

There was a DJ as well as a representative from the U.S. Census and a voter registration drive.