NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY)- Families of students who attend Trinity Lutheran School thanked teachers by providing food, flowers, and fun for students on Tuesday.
The school employs about 30 teachers and has 150 students ranging from pre-K to eighth grade.
Julie Petty, the school office manager and admissions coordinator, says the school’s parent-teacher organization plans something special for educators each year.
This year, they had to come up with something different. So, they catered lunch from the Cockeyed Rooster Cafe and passed out flowers from Fluer De Fou out of Smithfield.
“We’re thankful for our community at Trinity. We’re so blessed with the families and students,” Petty said.
PTO members passed out the gifts to teachers, who pulled up in front of the school. They also passed out cloth face masks.
Petty says the staff is grateful for all that was done for them.
“This has been such a trying time for the past couple of months. Our teachers have done such a wonderful job jumping into virtual learning and Zoom meetings with their students. We want to do something to show we love them, appreciate them and their hard work and dedication,” she said.
After getting their gifts, teachers pulled into the parking lot for the most anticipated event of the day: the student parade.
Families drove through the parking lot and allowed both teachers and students to get the first glimpse of each other in weeks.
Sarah Myers, who has taught at the school for three years, says they were all excited to see the students and that virtual learning doesn’t compare to seeing the kids in person.
“It seems flat without their personalities. We miss them,” she said.
Myers, who also has a child that attends the school, says they’re all navigating how to learn from home.
She has an elementary-aged child and a senior. They are each dealing with the pandemic differently.
Myers believes that many parents are now seeing what it means to be an educator.
“I think people have seen teaching from a different perspective… They see the homeschool side of it — from what they’re doing to support us from home — because parents are as involved with the teaching as we are right now,” she said.
Although they wish things could be different, they’re all doing the best they can and are looking forward to school physically opening back up.