Joyful back-to-school parade at elementary school in Rolling Meadows
What is a Parent Teacher Association to do when COVID-19 kills plans for the traditional back-to-school picnic? Why, hold a back-to-school parade, what else?
Teacher's joyful shouts of "welcome back" and "I missed you" rang outside Willow Bend Elementary School in Rolling Meadows as parents and students drove by Friday afternoon.
About 200 cars with a variety of decorations took part, several with kids waving happily through open sunroofs. More than two dozen teachers lined Barker Avenue, many of them holding signs and calling students by name.
"I didn't expect this many cars," said English as a second language teacher Karen Alderson, who has been at Willow Bend for 20 years. "This is fun."
Principal Bob Harris helped hand out Popsicles to the cars' occupants at the end of the parade. At one point, he hustled from the school to the parking lot with an armload of Popsicle boxes after the initial supply ran out in about 25 minutes.
At one point, the driver of a construction truck that got caught in the parade started waving and honking.
Wednesday was the first of day of school with remote learning for Palatine Township Elementary District 15, and the back-to-school picnic typically takes place on the first Friday, said Willow Bend PTA member Deana Dziadosz.
The PTA had the support of the principal and teachers, who began working to connect with their students via email and videos even before the start of school, said Dziadosz, who has three children at Willow Bend.
"We tried to get a little creative and still figure out how to make the beginning of the school year exciting, even though it looks different from in years past," she said. "We figured it was a way to help teachers and students and families connect."
Later Friday, Palatine Township Elementary District 15 announced it was delaying its plan to start in-person instruction because more than 30 staff members were in self-isolation after possible COVID-19 exposure.