Waltham High School Staff Rolls By To Congratulate Seniors

WALTHAM, MA — Carloads of teachers, administrators and staff have been driving throughout the city honking horns and dressed in Waltham Hawk Red in an effort to help seniors celebrate milestones that they were supposed to be marking during the past few weeks.

Students and teachers alike across the state are home bound to help slow the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic. But while the high school Class of 2020 along with others have been heading online for their connection and a little distance learning, teachers and staff wanted to do a little something special for students.

Seniors at Waltham normally celebrate a number of moments normally in school —college acceptances, offers of full time jobs and other accomplishments. Earlier this month teachers got the idea to have a number of “parades” to celebrate all of the nearly 400 graduating seniors.

Marisa Maddox, a science teacher and Vanessa Connors a French teacher thought it would be a great way to congratulate students, show our love and support, and lift some spirits while also abiding by social distancing guidelines.

When the two pitched the idea to the rest of the staff, it received overwhelming support. From there, plans were put into motion, routes were planned and cars were decorated.

"As we navigate this new realm of online learning with Google Meets videos, Remind app texts, and email as the main ways to connect with our students, it has been challenging," said School to Career Coordinator Lauren DeLeon." We miss seeing our students in person!"

Staff say seniors who are hearing back from colleges, finding out the results of job interviews and finalizing their plans for after graduation are especially feeling the distance.

"It was such an uplifting day, not only for my family but for so many others as well," said DeLeon. "I was part of group 2, who visited students on the south side of Waltham. We visited over 20 student’s homes. Most came out to see us with their families and some even made signs for us. It was amazing to see that even in these uncertain times people were happy to see us, cheering and waving as we drove by."

RELATED: Waltham Schools Closed Through End Of Year, Distance Learning On

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).