School connection strengthens amidst pandemic

WASILLA — A caravan of 39 cars driven by Tanaina Elementary School teachers left the school parking lot for their sixth journey in as many Fridays to go and see their students from a safe distance.

Recess monitor Matt Netzley leads the Timberwolves teachers out the parking lot with a howl that carries on through each bus route the teachers have driven along to see the 389 Tanaina students. Tanaina principal Cheri Mattson said that shortly after moving to a distance education model, teachers on the trauma team brought up how staff were struggling without seeing their students. Following a trend sweeping school districts across the nation, Mattson helped coordinate the first convoy of teachers reuniting with students from the road.

“I was like okay we might get like 10. I was expecting 10 people and to get 39 cars in a row is like oh my gosh, every Friday for 6 weeks has been just huge and it’s something for us to look forward to on Fridays,” said Mattson.

Teachers arranged their vehicles around the back parking lot before honking and waving at a small group of students and families who had gathered to send them off in the front parking lot. Tanaina kindergartener MaKayla Anderson dressed up in a lion costume and sang ‘Hakuna Matata’ with her mother Melaine to the Tanaina staff members as they departed. Staff decorated cars with signs and followed along their sixth bus route in as many weeks. Mattson said that the Tanaina teachers response to the pandemic has created more cohesion and increased communication and respect between parents and teachers.

Mattson invites every school staff member including IT professionals and custodians, as well as asking bus drivers to lead the parade along their own routes as the first and last adults who see students each day.

“This is huge family here and I love it but I think the number one thing is bringing the community, the families realize that we are in it together and typically when you meet with the families or the parents it’s always been a you you you or me me me, and this has been an us thing so I think that’s been the huge not really even the communication between the parents and the staff but the feeling of it,” said Mattson.

Later in the afternoon at Colony Middle School, the Knights staff took the reverse approach to student interaction, allowing families to drive their students through the parking lot lined with teachers, counselors, principals, and animals of all varieties.

“This is just our way to just be there and give people hope today. We’ve been doing this long enough where we haven’t seen our students. We had no closure. This is our way to spread smiles,” said CMS principal Mary Fulp.

Fulp sat in her truck bed along the end of the parade route and waved at students, asking them how they are doing and even wishing a happy birthday to one student. A band of steel drums played just outside the doors and horses roamed free in the parking lot. Allie Hrncir rode her horse Banjo with her mother Dorothy riding her horse Pearl. The horses had panted green stars and hearts on their legs, and the Hrncir horses were joined by a goat, several dogs and another miniature horse.

“The big thing you miss is just the interaction with the kids. You don’t have that one on one stuff now. You can do the stuff through zoom and that but you know it’s still kind of limited,” said CMS health teacher Chad Alaniva. “Just kind of makes you appreciate the time you do get with them.”

Fulp said that parents and students enjoy the windows lined with signs that tell the students the teachers miss them. Alaniva wore an American flag onesie as he interacted with students in the parking lot on Friday. Despite challenges, teachers say that more communication is taking place between families and students are learning valuable skills learning from home.

“They’re not in the classroom so they have to be self motivated and get through their work that way, so I think it’s giving students a lot of valuable skills that are life skills that adults have to use every day,” said Matt Clark.

Clark said that teachers are collaborating with colleagues across the nation and across the world, giving new perspectives on how educators can improve their instruction to students virtually.

“I think that there’s more collaboration through the world of education than there’s probably ever been because people are talking to everyone,” said Clark.

Colony Middle will host a socially distanced 8th grade promotion ceremony at the end of the year to provide closure for students. Fulp said that the impact of the promotion will be greater, but students and staff shared love on Friday.

“I think right now with everything that’s going on in our world and in our school district, I think it’s really important for our community to stand behind their teachers and know where our heart and look at what we’ve done successfully,” said Dannielle Chyko. “To me it’s kind of like after the earthquake. You don’t know how to respond in a situation until you respond in that situation. This school community came together beautifully in the earthquake. I feel like this school community came together beautifully in this pandemic and going forward we don’t know what the future brings but we need our families and we need our community to rally behind our teachers because without that where are our kids going to be.”