The countdown to the return of school is officially underway.

The seven local Dallas County school officially open Aug. 5 for the 2019-2020 session: Dallas County, Ellwood Christian, Keith High, Meadowview Christian, Morgan Academy, Selma High and Southside High.

Over the next 12 days, parents will be on a mad scramble to purchase clothes, shoes, school supplies and clear up any last-minute registration plans for their children ranging from ages five to 18.

School has certainly changed since my senior year at Holt High School began in 1987.  We began football practice three weeks before the first day of school. Labor Day fell two weeks after school opened.

As each year passes, the first day of school opens earlier. Summer vacation has also shrunk, going from three months to a little over two months.

Aug. 5 represents another hurdle for parents to get through: the opening day of football practice.  The first day of AHSAA and AISA football practices have always fallen on the first Monday of August.

Speaking of football, The Selma Times-Journal will soon open its yearly cover contest for the 2019 Prep Football Magazine.

For those not familiar with the process, The Selma Times-Journal takes a photo of a cheerleader and football player from each of the seven schools. We post each photo on The Selma Times-Journal’s facebook page. The photo that gets the most votes will be on the Football Magazine’s over.

We’re real proud of the football cover contest and it’s wildly popular with The Selma Times-Journal readers.

Judges from the Alabama Press Association Media contest also feel the same way. The Selma Times-Journal was third in its best use of Social Media category.

High school football in Dallas County opens Aug. 23, a week before college football begins on Labor Day weekend. Our Football magazine will be published around that time.