July 29, 2016
By KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT
Rutherford County Schools
Despite the steady rain, Principal Ann Haley along with a group of teachers and administrators delivered nearly 500 welcome packages to students from John Colemon Elementary School on Thursday, July 28.
Haley said this year’s theme is about “being a hero.”
Every package, which were personally addressed, included a T-shirt with “The HERO comes from within” emblazoned across the chest. The word hero was actually designed so that smaller words like “courage, love, pride, difference, hope, trust, believe, achieve” and others spelled out the four capital letters.
More than a dozen folks from John Colemon spent most of Thursday afternoon driving to the homes of each student to personally welcome them to their classrooms for the upcoming 2016-17 school year.
Haley said her goal was for “parents and students to see that we’re vested in them. That we care enough about them to try and deliver 500 packages today and make an effort to come see them at their door.”
“I just want them to know we care about them. That is the ultimate thing and we do. We care about them,” Haley added.
The welcome bags, which were put together Monday afternoon, also included an age-appropriate superhero book, mask and bubblegum.
In addition, each bag included a letter to parents reminding them of the two-hour registration day on Friday, Aug. 5 beginning at 7:30 a.m. The first full day of school will be Monday, Aug. 8, and students are encouraged to wear their T-shirts and masks to school.
A trio of three recent Riverdale drama graduates will be dressed as superheroes – Batman, Green Lantern and one other – and on hand to welcome students back to school, Haley said.
“We’re here for them,” said Haley, who left printed letter cards on the doors of students they missed to let their parents know a package is waiting for them at school.
Haley said the idea was inspired by The Ron Clark Academy, an acclaimed nonprofit middle school in Southeast Atlanta. She said the fifth through eighth grade school only enrolls about 30 students per grade level.
Clark did a similar welcoming for incoming fifth graders.
“I thought if he can do it for them, why can’t we do it for ours?” Haley said.
After being off for the past two months, Haley and her staff recognize a lot of students do not always look forward to returning to the classroom, she said. She wanted to do something to acknowledge “how excited we are to have them back.”
The home visits provided teachers a chance to meet some of their new students and even cross paths with former students.
Blake Hill was one of several teachers to receive affectionate hugs of appreciation from some of his former students.
“Honestly, not to sound cliché,” he said, “but that’s the reason why most teachers do it. You have to have a passion for teaching kids, especially at a school like John Colemon.
“It was hard to hold back the tears,” Hill added.
The Rutherford County native credited Haley for changing the perception of John Colemon from being “just a school” to “more like a home.”
“Yesterday was such a wonderful experience for so many reasons,” Beth Wallace wrote in an email she shared with fellow teachers and administrators at John Colemon. “The children were excited to see us, the parents saw our love for their children, and we got to be together as a school family doing something for others.”
Wallace went on thank Haley “for giving us this opportunity to show our love for these children!”
Haley used donations to cover the cost of the shirts and said it was less of a cost and more about the willingness of her staff to donate their time to the project.
They assembled the bags in one hour on Monday afternoon and then planned their routes during a three-hour meeting Thursday morning that also included “poverty training.” During the session Haley explained some parents are intimidated to visit the school because of language barriers or their own lack of education.
Though final enrollment numbers won’t be confirmed for a few more weeks, 70-75 percent of the students at John Colemon Elementary come from economically disadvantaged families.
Hill said surprisingly a majority of the students said they’re ready to return. He believes, in large part, it’s because they feel “safe and happy” at John Colemon and credits Haley with creating the welcoming atmosphere.
Afterward Haley, who has been involved in education for the better part of three decades, said it was the “best experience of my career.”
Hill agreed, and so did Wallace and Olivia Thomas.
Wallace and Thomas said they will “never forget” the experience.
Wallace also noted the “positive impact it had on so many,” while Thomas concluded, “I loved to see the smiles on our kids’ faces. They were so surprised and excited to see us.”
PHOTOS:
(Top) John Colemon teacher Blake Hill delivers a care package to a surprised student from the school as a way to welcome him back for the upcoming school year, which begins on Aug. 5.
(Bottom) John Colemon Principal Ann Haley poses for pictures with two of her students after delivering care packages to their home. The packages included a "Hero" shirt — which is the school's theme for the next school year — along with other hero-themed items.