Spanish
Immersion School teachers wave and call out their best wishes for a great
summer as students pass by Tuesday afternoon. Physical
education teacher Darcie Broom had a special greeting as Spanish Immersion
School teachers lined the sidewalk Tuesday to wish students a happy summer.
“Don’t be a couch potato! Have a great summer. Get some exercise,” Broom called out with a wave and a broad smile as carloads of students passed in front of the school.
Some
students displayed their own signs of thanks and a few poked their heads
through sunroofs to wave as parents and grandparents honked their horns.
Principal Michael Brennan said the staff wanted to show their love for students and their families by organizing the drive-by summer sendoff. Staff stood on the sidewalk the entire Euclid Avenue block in front of the school, waving signs and calling to students by name. City police cars at each end of the block prevented through traffic as the long procession continued for nearly half an hour.
“It’s been difficult for all of us these past nine weeks when students couldn’t be in the building,” Brennan said. “We wanted to show the kids how much we have missed them in the hope that we can somehow be together again in the fall.”
Brennan was near the end of the line of well-wishers with Superintendent Stan Jefferson and Andrea Moyer, the district’s director of school improvement.
The
principal offered a series of greetings as he joked and called out to students
by name.
“Be nice to your mother!”
“Read a lot this summer.”
“Don’t be afraid to get a haircut,” he joked with one boy.
Brennan, the
former principal at Sherman Elementary School, took over the leadership of
Spanish Immersion in January after the resignation of Gabe Costa.
“It’s been an interesting year for sure,” Brennan said. “The teachers here were so great to help me get to know the students and the culture of the school.
“And, fortunately for me, I have had great parental involvement and support, particularly from PTO president Lentcen Roig and Barbara Kern.”
The support
of teachers and parents has made the difference in his move from Sherman,
Brennan said.
“Typically, it would have been a hard move. But the silver lining has been all the help and support I have received. This is such a great school."
Seven eighth-graders graduated from Spanish Immersion in May. They are Caleb Bowman, Sarah Porter, Karl Etzel, Kaelyn Carr, Ezra Pearce, Jazmine Hall and Roberto Expinosa-Canzobre.