The sound of distant honks filled the air. A group of children squealed, yelling to their parents that their teachers must be here.
Henry McMurray, 10, and Sophia McMurray, 12, sprinted down the street, carrying their signs. Their mom picked up another sign and followed behind, along with one of her other daughters. Soon the four of them were parked on a street corner.
The noise grew louder as a car parade approached their corner. The cars were decorated with car paint, balloons, streamers and signs with sentimental messages. Almost all read “We miss you!”
The kids waved and shouted at the cars passing by. Some parents told their kids to stay six feet away from other people.
Teachers from Summit Elementary School participated in a car parade at 5:15 p.m. on Friday in Bloomington. About 40 teachers participated and visited their students in neighborhoods around the school district.
On April 2, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order saying that K-12 schools must use remote learning for the rest of the school year. The parade was an opportunity for the students to see their teachers since they won’t see them in class.
In the different neighborhoods, many of the kids worked on sidewalk art for the parade as they waited. They wrote messages such as “We love Summit,” “We are still your students” and “Miss you Kaley. You are the best teachers.”
When the teachers finally arrived, the streets were filled with beeps and whoops. One woman cheered from her window as every single car passed her house.
“All right all right. Woo!”
Another family blew plastic horns.
The teachers honked horns and yelled to their students as they passed by. Some teachers brought their family members to help hold signs saying they missed their students or told them to stay safe and stay home. One teacher drove with one hand on her wheel, the other out the window inside of a sock puppet.
The Highlands subdivision was the last stop and many of the children grew impatient as they waited to see their teachers. Most of them sat in their driveway with their parents, delight brightening their faces every time a car drove by.
