More than a month since Guilford schools shuttered, one group of Guilford Lakes 4th grade classmates, led by parent Melisa Shaw, decided to find an outlet for all the creative energy and feelings that maybe can’t quite be transmitted through videoconference, while at the same time letting their beloved teacher, Kevin Flanagan, know they appreciate all the work he was doing.

“It was a surprise scenario, which I think pushed over the top,” Shaw said. “[Flanagan] was just really, really excited and happy.”

The motorcade of around 15 cars, which featured signs, bells, balloons, a bullhorn, and plenty of shouting and waving students, was organized with the surreptitious help of Flanagan’s wife and kids, according to Shaw, with no special occasion anchoring the occasion—no birthday, holiday, or long weekend.

It was simply the result of a lot of kids who wanted to see their teacher in person, and let him know they miss him, Shaw said.

“I think everyone is missing connections,” Shaw said. “The students are missing connections with their peers and their teacher, and vice-versa.”

As the class liaison, Shaw said it was easy to get on the same page and find a date and time that worked for almost the entire class. Making sure Flanagan was outside at the right time involved his daughter pretending she had to photograph plants for an Earth Day assignment.

Flanagan said he was overwhelmed, both by the heartfelt gesture, as well as the surprise of having more than a dozen cars full of excited kids parading past his house.

“When it first started happening, I still was puzzled—it took me a while to figure it out,” Flanagan said.

Though the class has videoconferences twice a day as part of its remote learning, Flanagan said he knows the strain of isolation has weighed on his students at times. Students who might have been consistently extroverted are more subdued when meeting virtually, according to Flanagan, and others have expressed in journaling assignments that they miss going to school.

“One kid said, ‘I’ll never complain once, my mother will never have to get me out of bed to go to school ever again,’” Flanagan said, laughing.

Students were also able to show off the signs they had made and see each other in person as they gathered in a nearby parking lot to prepare the motorcade, according to Shaw. Even that minimal in-person interaction—social distancing from car to car—was really important for the 4th graders, both Shaw and Flanagan said.

“You get outside, it’s sunny out, you see people, you see friends,” Flanagan said. “It just kind of catches on...I saw that on their faces. Everybody was excited.”

For his part, Flanagan has missed his students too, he said, and said that his wife was moved to tears as the motorcade passed by.

“Words can’t express it, you just are kind of shocked, and definitely excited and happy and grateful,” Flanagan said. “It’s a whole thing about having a surprise, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool.’ It doesn’t sink in until after everybody leaves. And then you’re kind of like, ‘Wow, they really did that—that was great.’”

As schools remained closed for at least another month, Flanagan said he knows there will still be stresses, as students deal with missing more time with friends and their school community. Fourth graders additionally face the prospect of having to move on to a new school next year, Flanagan pointed out, which is another level of change and uncertainty on top of everything else.

But he said he wanted his students to know he was extremely proud of everything they had accomplished so far, and encouraged them to keep weathering the storm until they can see each other again.

“I appreciate what they did, and just them, and how they’re holding it together and working hard. Go easy on yourself, have fun, and try to find novel ways to do different things,” Flanagan said.