Spreading Cheer
Teachers, staff parade safely for students
The Inter-Mountain photos by Haley Gordon Third Ward Elementary’s teachers, staff and bus drivers took time to cheer up their students by parading through Elkins Friday morning.
Several of the vehicles in the parade were adorned with signs sending well wishes to the students.
The Inter-Mountain photos by Haley Gordon Third Ward Elementary’s teachers, staff and bus drivers took time to cheer up their students by parading through Elkins Friday morning.
Several of the vehicles in the parade were adorned with signs sending well wishes to the students.
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ELKINS -- Third Ward Elementary's teachers, staff and bus drivers paraded through town Friday morning -- while maintaining social distancing -- to cheer up their students, who have been stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We want our school community to know that we are here for them and thinking of our students every day," Third Ward Principal Hollie Pritt said. "We miss them dearly and parading through the bus route (gives) both the students and the families, as well as our staff and school workers, a chance to see each other and say hello."
The parade began at 10:45 a.m. at Third Ward Elementary, where a line of teachers and faculty, as well as Mayor Van Broughton, gathered together, armed with signs bearing positive messages to hold for the children to see.
Bus drivers boarded a school bus at the front of the line and spread through the seats to remain socially distant while leading the parade.
"We wanted to have a way to see the kids so they could be reassured that we're OK and we can be reassured that they're OK," Pritt said. "This is just a different time. We're all kind of in the same new territory here."
The parade traveled past Crystal Springs, Elkins Middle School, the West Virginia Children's Home and through the downtown area of Elkins before ending at the Elkins-Randolph County YMCA.
"We actually had people waving and passing vehicles (were) honking their horns and waving so it was really a lot of fun," Pritt said.
"One of my… teachers saw a video of another county doing the parade route," she said. "I even asked the mayor (if) we could do this because we'll be driving slowly and he was all for it."
Pritt was also able to have books donated for the children from Randolph County Read Aloud and distributed more than 100 of them at bus stops during the parade Friday.
"It was so much fun. We had 29 kids at the Elm Street stop and it was just wonderful," she said. "It was such great therapy for (everyone) just to be able to make that connection."
Pritt said that the school staff is now considering doing a parade once a month or more to continue safely visiting the students until the Stay At Home order and social distancing guidelines are lifted.
"It made this a little bit easier to cope with, just being able to see our kids and say hello," she said. "The rain did not deter us at all. We still had a wonderful time and it was good therapy for everybody."