‘We are trying to send our love to them’

Staff delivers caps and gowns to seniors’ homes

AVON LAKE SCHOOLS

“It’s been great having them here at the high school for the past four years, because it’s just a great group to be around. Unfortunately, the circumstances are out of our control, but hopefully, this will be something that they will enjoy and celebrate.”

— Colleen Penick, math teacher at Avon Lake High School

Avon Lake City Schools honored its seniors by delivering their caps and gowns with surprise visits to their homes May 15. Colleen Penick, a math teacher at Avon Lake High, organized the event. Penick also had several volunteer staff members who helped. “We are delivering yard signs for students who haven’t picked them up yet, and caps and gowns for all our 351 seniors,” she said. “Usually, we do this at checkout, the day before graduation, and we are trying to show our seniors that they are loved. “We are trying to send our love out to them.” Penick said the district had about 80 teachers volunteer for the task of meeting at Avon Lake High and driving throughout the school district to deliver the caps and gowns. “The teachers are elementary school all the way up to the high school, curriculum directors, school psychologist, head football coach; pretty much all folks in the district are involved in some way,” she said. “It’s just all an out pour of love for our seniors and showing we care about them.” The novel coronavirus pandemic has the made school year tough, Penick said. “It was great until this virus hit us,” she said. “The senior class is really a great group of kids, it really is. “It’s been great having them here at the high school for the past four years, because it’s just a great group to be around. Unfortunately, the circumstances are out of our control, but hopefully, this will be something that they will enjoy and celebrate.” Anna Marie Bair, a chemistry teacher at Avon Lake High, volunteered to take caps and gowns to seniors. “We each got the opportunity to pick a group of students,” Bair said. “I tried to pick students that I taught and were also aides for me. “It was something where I couldn’t get all the students I wanted. You just want to see all of them, but you have other teachers that want to see the students, share the moment and congratulate them, so I understand it. “It has been great getting to know these guys for the past four years we had them in the high school. This is our way of showing them that they mean a lot to us,” Bair added.

ZACHARY SRNIS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Laura Below, a senior at Avon Lake High School, and her mother, Linda Below, take out her cap and gown for photos.

ZACHARY SRNIS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Anna Marie Bair, a teacher at Avon Lake High School, along with school therapy dog Mendy, give Elaina Ruprecht, an Avon Lake senior, her cap and gown.