Preserving Pine Tree traditions in the face of COVID

As the end of June kicks us into a summer rife with lemon aid and picnics at the beach, another uniquely uncommon year at Pine Tree elementary has drawn to a close.

It was the second school year touched by COVID’s unsettling effects; a year like none other.

As I’m sure you recall, by early spring of last year, educators and parents were scrambling to adopt some form of remote learning that would keep our kids on track.

We flailed under the weight of uncertain times and in the process, many ceremonial rites of passage were rewritten. Others had to be abandoned all together, for safety’s sake.

“Field Day,” an extravaganza featuring a live DJ, games, and cotton candy was something every grade, 2 through 5, revered. It marked the vibrant end to a year well spent.

In kind, the 5th grade picnic celebrated students who would soon be trading these hallowed halls for a place in Monroe Woodbury’s Middle School.

Sadly, both of these events were scrapped last year, denying our youngsters a proper Pine Tree send-off.

But all was not lost! Through the die-hard perseverance of school staff, each and every 5th grader was still offered their day in the sun.

Class by class, cars rolled through the parking lot, pausing for a time while children’s names were read aloud through a bombastic speaker system. Families cheered through open sun roofs and masked educators waved congratulatory signs toward their graduates as the vehicles (some decorated with festive streamers and balloons) rolled slowly toward the street and turned toward home.

It was an event that many will relay to future generations with a sigh and hopefully a smile.

For this was humanity doing it’s best to maintain some level of so called normalcy in the face of unforeseen challenges.

That was then, this is now

Here we are today, one year later, dancing to a rhythm that continues to shift and change with the introduction of the COVID vaccines. Graduation day for our 5th graders took a similar form to last year’s while Field Day and the beloved 5th grade picnic made a joyous albeit slightly modified comeback.

Lunches were pre-ordered from Jakes Wayback Burgers at a generous discount, then distributed in individual bags to limit exposure to unwanted pathogens.

And classes cycled through games and activities in smaller clusters, safely distanced from others. It wasn’t what it had been in years past, but it happened, and this alone was cause for celebration. For a wee bit of happy hoopla was well deserved after an entire school years of constant adjustment, forced through the states rising and falling numbers of COVID cases.

Pine Tree PTA

Without the help of Pine Tree’s PTA, many of these events never could have taken place. One of its more tenacious volunteers, Amanda Gunning, even spearheaded the push to get this year’s science fair back on the roster, arranging a fun and safe alternative to another beloved tradition.

On Thursday, June 17, the school hosted a breakfast to honor these volunteers and PTA board members. A volunteer myself, I sat with the others in Pine Tree’s back yard, beneath an open-air tent.

We sipped coffee and snacked on fine Italian Danish and cookies while Principal Bryan Giudice reflected on all the challenges we had faced and the many we had somehow managed to overcome. We wallowed in his grateful words, said our goodbyes, then returned to our cars carrying bouquets of flowers and pretty potted begonias. In the distance, a cluster of students buzzed merrily about the front yard of the school. This seemed unusual. But then again, so did everything else having to do with 2020-2021.

The boulder, a new tradition

As I rolled my car slowly past this jolly little bustle, I saw what all the excitement was about. An enormous 1-1/2 ton boulder had been plucked by Black Rock Excavating in Cornwall and plopped in Pine Tree’s front yard.

This seemingly intrusive mass of granite had been gifted to the PTA by Callahan and Nannini Quarry in Salisbury Mills.

But it was more than just a rock. It was another rite of passage; a new tradition spawned by PTA President AnnMarie Colabella-Kaiser.

When I saw it, AnnMarie had already painted it that vibrant shade of Monroe Woodbury purple we all know and love. And now, donning paint brushes and tubes of bright white paint, this class of busy bees was leaving its mark.

Before the day was up, each and every 5th grader would have their turn at signing the giant rock, leaving their own unique signatures behind to grace Pine Trees front yard. Next year, a fresh coat of paint will start the process all over again.

On and on through the years, from this crazy year forward, the names of every Pine Tree graduate will forever be encased in layers of purple paint. A firm reminder that life goes on, that things change, but our marks on this world remain.

Congratulations to this year’s graduates of Pine Tree Elementary.

May your marks on this world be bold and thoughtful, peaceful, and above all, kind.