~Photos and text by Joseph Beaudet, University of Missouri summer intern
Families lined the streets in Scranton as teachers bid them farewell. Greene County Elementary School held a teacher parade on Friday afternoon, May 29.
Organized by a team of staff members, the parade began in Scranton, then moved on to Jefferson, Grand Junction, and Rippey.
The original teacher parade scheduled for April 6 was part of the restricted activities listed by Governor Reynolds. With some restrictions lifted, the teachers felt it was finally time to see their students again on what was to be the final day of classes.
Tiffanie Carey, a third grade teacher for Greene County, said that the school “tried to do [the parade] earlier but [they] couldn’t because of the restrictions.”
After a long tradition of end of the year tunnels for high fives, hugs, and good byes, the team organized this parade to maintain the tradition to the best of their abilities. The parade, as teacher Rhonda Baker put it, was “the next best way of doing it.”
While that tradition was forced to take a one-year hiatus, the parade was widely accepted by students and staff. A majority of Greene County Elementary School teachers were in attendance for their teacher procession.
The parade served as a hello and a goodbye from teachers to students as the school year came to an end.
Samantha Reese, a parent in the district, said her child was “absolutely excited” to see their teachers again.
Tricia Schoon, a special education teacher for Greene County, said the parade was all about getting to see each of their students “one last time.”
Schoon went on to say that the parade was a good way to go “through the process of saying goodbye in as close and connected of a way as [the teachers] possibly could.”
A number of teachers found it difficult not seeing their students for so long.
Baker felt she could “speak for most of the teachers” when she said “the social distancing…was really hard” for the teachers and staff.
Having not seen each other since March 13, teachers and students alike were ecstatic to be able to see each other again.
Scott Johnson, the principal at Greene County Elementary, said it would “feel great” for the teachers to see their students again. Despite there not being a physical connection and interaction, there was still a “personal side to it where [the staff] can actually see [the students].”
Ryleigh Margetta, a student at Greene County Elementary, illustrated her feelings in just one word. She said seeing her teachers again felt “Amazing!”
Chloe, a fourth grader at Greene County, illustrated her feelings in a similar fashion to Margetta, saying it felt “good” to see teachers again.
Teacher Schoon agreed, saying it felt “really good” to be able to see students again.
Being a special education teacher, Schoon didn’t have “as much personal connection as a classroom teacher” during virtual learning. So, being able to “see faces of kids [she has] not really gotten to see for several weeks,” made it that much better for her.
Baker said it was great to see students again. Having “one-to-one meetings over the computer and just seeing their faces, [she] kind of teared up,” so it was no surprise when there were a few tears throughout the afternoon. She says there were “lots and lots of smiles,” though.
The Greene County Elementary School teacher parade went off largely without a hitch. With a large majority of teachers in attendance, the parade was received well by a majority of the staff. Students and teachers alike were able to reconnect for one final time while maintaining their distance.
