An Epic "Goodbye"

If you read our last column, you know that the impromptu school closures had our faculty, staff and students feeling a bit down in the dumps. However, it isn't like us to wallow, so we had to organize our best farewell, thus far, and let's just say it didn't disappoint.

Typically, our end of the year is wrapped up with a family pinic. We have: burgers and hot dogs sizzling, kids playing kickball, music pumping on the playground and, more than likely, a sweet treat in the sunshine to finish things off. 

With all of the COVID precautions, our teachers wondered, how can we say "goodbye" but still stay safe? How can we wrap up a year that is so one of a kind? 

They were left with one idea: wave farewell from the front lawn. 

So, teachers and staff reached out to parents letting them know that, if they wished, they could wave to our teachers from their vehicles on our final day of school. We had hoped we would get a handful of participants considering we only have 130 students in our entire elementary school and it's summer break -- who wants to be around their teachers anymore?

Boy, were we wrong. 

As the farewell kicked off at 4:30 pm, our teachers were shocked to see over a hundred vehicles wrap around the block waiting for a chance to wave at their teachers one last time. Police escorted our families as they honked, dropped off gifts, waved and even sprayed Silly String at their socially distanced educators.

Let's just say there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd. Tears poured from teachers as they saw how much their kids grew in the past few months and parents sobbed while realizing just how honored we really are to have this little Catholic family that means so much to us. They saw the love in their children's eyes for these teachers first hand and it was beautiful.  

Sometimes it takes time apart to cherish the relationships that matter. This year, our students weren't kicking the front doors open to be embraced by months of summer vacation but they were clamoring to the front yard of their school to show appreciation for the women who worked so hard for them this year. 

That is a lesson we didn't plan on teaching this year, but one that will be priceless for a lifetime.