St. Francis Catholic School in Billings held a honk and holler parade outside the school Friday afternoon to ease the feeling of isolation among students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have about 487 students there. Parents brought their kids through and the teachers were standing out there with signs letting them know that we miss them and we're looking forward to having them back in school," Billings Catholic Schools President Shaun Harrington said.
The school administrators will revisit the topic of reopening and what it will look like on Monday. Last week, Gov. Steve Bullock announced schools can reopen May 7, although the decision lies with individual school boards.
"They all had signs and dogs in the cars, and it was great," Harrington said, "It had a great feel about it,".
Staff made sure to remain six feet apart from each other, while greeting the long line of cars.
"Building administrators and teachers are rock stars, that's all I can say. They have stepped up in so many ways, not to mention the work that parents have done," Harrington said, "The parents and students have stuck in there with us to make sure that the students continue to make gains."
The event also generated some positivity from passers-by, as many honked in support.
"A great event that gets back to that sense of community. I think that people have a greater appreciation of each other in general in a situation like this, you know we take for granted sometimes what we have in our world and it's an eye-opening experience to have that taken away," Harrington said. "I hope that when we get to be together again we appreciate that and treat each other with dignity, respect, and love."
