How some Horry teachers surprised students with ‘laughter, hope and love’ amid coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic kept Burgess Elementary School kids at home on Monday, so their teachers drove to them.
Faculty and staff at Burgess did a driving tour of their community, waving, honking and cheering on kids from a safe distance inside their decorated cars. School is still being held remotely, but Physical Education Teacher Laura Randolph said everyone misses the kids and wanted to do something special.
“We want to keep it as normal as we can for these kids,” Randolph said. “To let them know they’re thought about, cared for and loved through this whole situation.”
A Facebook video went out to inform students’ families to spread the word that their teachers were planning something special for Monday. Burgess still does morning announcements on social media and classes are being held online, but Randolph said it isn’t the same interacting with students only online.
Dozens of teachers and administrators decorated their cars on Monday outside the Food Lion on Glenns Bay Road a few minutes before the 3:30 p.m. procession was to begin. They proceeded in and out of major subdivisions across the Burgess area.
Due to social distancing practices, the cars carried only a couple teachers, hence the need for about a dozen cars in the procession.
As the cars slowly drove by, teachers waved and greeted their kids by name. Students didn’t walk up to the cars out of safety precautions, but waved back as the teachers passed.
“It almost feels like part of you is missing when you don’t see your students ... It’s tough not seeing each other every day,” Randolph said. “We just want to spread laughter, hope and love.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 7:33 PM.
