Sara Sandstrom, Nederland. There is always a reason to cheer when that last bell rings signaling the end of the school year. This year, in particular, there was extra reason to celebrate. The 2020-2021 school year was tough. If you are a parent it was tough. If you are a teacher it was tough. If you are a grandparent who helped a student it was tough. If you are a student it was tough. We all had our work cut out for us. Despite all the challenges that Covid put in front of us, failure was not an option. 

On the last day of school Nederland Elementary School (NES) has a long standing tradition. Kindergarteners through fourth graders line up and cheer as the fifth graders walk by. It is a way to bid them farewell and send them off to middle school with all the love and support from their elementary school. Think of it like one last giant wonderful hug from their early childhood support system. 

This year I think the tradition felt even more special. Because of Covid the classes could not mix. No school assemblies together, no field trips together, no seeing each other at lunch. This was one of the few opportunities the whole school could see each other in the same big space. Teachers and students were clapping, cheering and chanting, “fifth grade, fifth grade, fifth grade!” 

The majority of the fifth graders have been at NES since kindergarten. They have been the ones cheering for five years. This year they were the ones being cheered for. I am sure the moment was bittersweet for them.

No one could have predicted what schools were going to have to go through and achieve in the last 14 months. Students, parents, teachers and staff a well deserved summer break is in front of you. Sleep in, if you can, and relax. Take time to rejuvenate and not be on a schedule. 

The 2020-2021 school is behind us. I am sure we learned some valuable lessons. For now let’s breathe a sigh of relief. 

(Originally published in the June 3, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)