School In Dublin Featured On 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'

DUBLIN, CA — Comedian Ellen DeGeneres returned to her television show this week after testing positive for the coronavirus in December and taking time off to heal.

"I'm fine now. Everything is good. I'm all clear. I want to thank everyone who reached out with kind words of support," DeGeneres said in a clip from the episode airing Wednesday, Jan. 13. "I wish I could have hugged every one of you. That would have been dangerous and illegal probably."

Her return to her television show is exciting news for the staff and students at Murray Elementary School in Dublin who will appear on the show Wednesday, Jan. 13.

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According to Principal Meghan Boriskin, in mid-December, as the holiday season approached, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was in the midst of filming and airing its annual "12 Days of Christmas" special.

Each year, the show recognizes people that make life better. In 2020, they were recognizing front-line workers, including nurses, food bank workers, delivery drivers, first responders, and, of course, teachers. The show and its sponsors shower these people with a selection of gifts as a way of saying “thank you” for the important work they do.

What most people don’t know is that on the day the show was slated to film its final segment, the group waiting to be honored was ready online, and the show was about to go live. It was at that time DeGeneres found out she had the coronavirus while backstage. Production of the show was immediately put on halt, and the final segment of the "12 Days of Christmas" special was postponed.

"It just so happens that the twelfth and final segment of the special was to feature a dozen teachers from our very own Murray Elementary,"Boriskin said.

With DeGeneres' show now once again filming, the principal said the school filmed its segment Monday, which will air Wednesday on NBC and will be shared on EllenTube.com soon after.

"We are not at liberty to divulge any details," Boriskin said. "A special thanks goes out to our third-grade teacher Grace Samara. Grace was the one who made this all happen. Her efforts added a little fun into a challenging school year and provided recognition for the work teachers do across the world, in Dublin and at Murray. Thank you to 'The Ellen Show' and its sponsors for recognizing front-line workers!"