COVID-19 may have taken away the rest of their school year, but teachers in Noblesville, Indiana didn’t let a global pandemic keep them from seeing their kiddos one last time.
Teachers from North Elementary School drove their cars on a 27-mile parade route through the town of Noblesville for three hours on Sunday in hopes of cheering up their students during this very weird time we’re living in.
Due to social distancing guidelines and national safety precautions put in place because of coronavirus, schools like North Elementary are closed through the end of the school year, forcing classrooms online.
“We’ve gotten to see them on our screens, and there’s nothing like being able to see them face to face,” said second-grade teacher Stephanie Etchison, who helped organize the parade.
As teachers set out on the parade route Sunday, their cars decked in signs and shout outs to their kiddos, students stood in their driveways holding posters and balloons.
“It was challenging not to walk up and hug them. We are elementary teachers and we thrive on their hugs,” Etchison said.
Teachers told families just 24 hours prior that they’d be driving by to wave and honk their horns. Neighbors joined too, and people lined the suburban streets to greet the everyday heroes who shape generations.