Andrews - Usually during the week before Easter, students at Andrews Elementary School get to go out to the playground and search for eggs. This year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and thanks to the creativity of school nurse Brooke Postell, all kids still got to participate in the tradition.
Principal Melissa Godfrey said she encouraged her teachers and staff to find opportunities to connect with students.
“We’re all just struggling from being separated from our kids,” Godfrey said. “(Postell) has a heart for that interaction.”
Postell realized the students would miss out on the fun they have at school before Easter. She figured the egg hunt around town would be safe and something her own young children would enjoy.
When Postell presented the idea of a town-wide egg hunt with paper eggs people can color and display, Godfrey thought it was an amazing idea, but also a time-consuming one. Postell said she was willing to organize and lead the project.
Postell found egg coloring sheets and photocopied enough to place in the students’ school work packets that were distributed on April 3. She also handed out a few to local businesses. On April 6, she posted a notice about the hunt in the school’s Class Dojo app, then posted one on social media as well.
By April 8, she was able to connect with students at Andrews Middle School and invite them to join in on the fun.
“We want everybody to be involved,” Postell said. “It’s really just for the kids. I thought it would be a really fun thing for them to do.”
Early in the week, Postell started seeing the eggs – some in the windows or gardens of homes, some at businesses owned by students’ parents and some at other businesses around town.
Families were asked to post a photo on social media when they found an egg and label it with the hashtag #AESVirtualEggHunt. Godfrey said she was enjoying seeing the images of her students finding the eggs around town.
Both Godfrey and Postell also enjoyed taking their own young children on the hunt. Godfrey added that it was fun because everyone could find all the same eggs – each egg doesn’t get put away in a basket or bag once someone finds one.
Godfrey was also happy to see so many local businesses support the children in a fun way, adding that local businesses are always supporting her students with a variety of donations.
“It’s been so heartwarming,” she said.
Samantha Sinclair is the Scouting Around columnist for the Cherokee Scout. You can reach her by phone, 837-5122, Ext. 24; or email, scoutingaround@cherokee-scout.com.