NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Teachers from a couple of New Rochelle schools organized parades to reconnect with students who have been studying from home during the new coronavirus outbreak. The point of the “Teachers’ Parade” was to greet and cheer students — from a safe distance.
Three of New Rochelle’s schools were closed March 11 when the state established a containment zone in the northern part of town due to the virus outbreak. The rest of the district’s schools were closed a couple of days later.
Students have been doing distance learning since that time. Most recently, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all schools in the state would be closed at least through April 29.
Parades were set off from Columbus Elementary School and Henry Barnard Early Childhood Center Tuesday morning.
Renee Bartee, who teaches pre-kindergarten at Barnard, organized that school’s parade with reading teacher Debbie Rosario.
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Bartee said that New Rochelle is a strong community and the teachers just wanted to show their love and support.
“Kids are saying they’re missing the teachers,” she said, and “the teachers miss the students. We thought we would show them that we’re thinking about them” and that the teachers love them.
Aisha Cook, a fourth-grade teacher at Columbus, organized Columbus’ parade with Alexis Candelario.
“This was better than any of us could have imagined,” Cook said.
Jennifer DiFatta, who lives near Columbus, is the mother of Savanna, a seventh grader at Albert Leonard Middle School, and A.J., a fourth grader at Daniel Webster Magnet School.
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She said it was wonderful the way the teachers were staying connected to their students.
“It’s a real heartfelt sense of community,” DiFatta said. “They did it in style, too. There’s nothing like a good parade.”
Columbus first grader Sebastian waves excitedly to the passing cars in the parade.
His mother, Rosa De Leon, was thankful that the teachers did what they did in organizing the parade and that it showed what an amazing community New Rochelle is.