On a typical school morning, Meadowdale Elementary School students and staff gather together for the morning announcements, which always includes an acknowledgement of anyone celebrating a birthday that day.
With the Carpentersville school and all others in the state closed in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread, students are missing those little things that being together meant, school social worker Griselda Hernandez said.
“The brain understands the why (we can’t be together), but the heart doesn’t,” Hernandez said. It’s as tough on the staff as it is on the kids, she said.
Which is what prompted Meadowdale staff on Thursday to find a novel way to not only see some of their students but spread a little cheer and some birthday wishes as well. A caravan of several dozen vehicles driven by teachers, staff members, police officers and others drove through the Meadowdale neighborhood so they could wave to students and their families while still maintaining social distance.
“It’s hard for us (with school out),” Principal Jorge Almodovar said. “We all miss the kids, the energy they bring. And I think they miss us, too. … We want to see the kids again, give them some motivation, tell them we miss them.”
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Among those outside to watch the parade were Aleah Pinedo, 9, and her older sister, Priscilla. Aleah’s 10th birthday is on Sunday.
“I liked it a lot. I didn’t expect this at all,” Aleah said.
It was welcome respite for the family, said their mother, Rebecca Rodriguez. The three have been home together since the governor closed downs schools and implemented a shelter-in-place order last month. Rodriguez has been unable to work because she can’t find a babysitter, she said.
The parade demonstrated the kind of commitment the Meadowdale teachers have for their students, Rodriguez said.
“Their teachers are in constant contact with them,” she said. “I love that.”
For student birthdays, music teacher Erin Hauck usually leads the class in a birthday singalong. Hauck said she hopes students with April birthdays appreciate being recognized with the parade.
Hauck and her husband are both teachers, and they miss their students, she said.
“To not be able to be with them is difficult. Just having us here today, it will show them we are thinking about them,” she said.
Hauck’s own children — like those she teaches — are doing e-learning at home, and the family had to miss their spring break vacation to Mexico. There “have been some tears along the way” for all of them, but they also know many families are struggling far more than they are, she said.
The idea of a parade emerged earlier in the week when some staff were at the school to pick up e-learning materials and started talking about the videos and photos they’d seen of similar events posted online, she said.
When they floated the idea, most of the school’s staff responded, Haugh said. Families were notified by phone and email, she said.
Those participating in the caravan gathered at the school parking lot, where many decorated their vehicles. Kindergarten teacher Alexandra Gavin had signs that said “stay safe” and “we miss you.”
“If this should continue after April, we may have to try this again in May,” Almodovar said.