And We Say THANK YOU: Gifting a Lounge Reno to Our Fearless Faculty & Staff
By Erin Pinnell, NHM PTA President 2019/2020/2021
This year has been one for the books. I keep saying that, and it keeps proving to be true. Nothing about a typical year has been typical for a while now, but then again there are things that are very much the same and constant amid it all.
This is the eighth year in a row that I have had kids at North Hi Mount. Eight years of teachers and staff pouring into my kids, loving them, caring for them. Eight years of visits to the nurse for a Band-Aid, eight years of laughing and playing tag on the playground, eight years of musicals and artwork and field days, eight years of saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning and focusing on the character traits of Integrity, Respect, Hard Work, Leadership…becoming Eagle Strong.
And those years have also been filled with countless hours of reading, writing, speaking, and problem solving that have all come together to equal a whole childhood full of learning. I’m amazed by what my kids have learned. My boys learned the joy of becoming immersed in a book, and they have read far more in their young lives than I think I ever have. They are voracious; they absorb vocabulary and use it seamlessly in conversation. My daughter has come to love numbers and solving problems and shows me daily as she figures things in her head, from her own logic, in ways far beyond her years. All three have been immersed in Spanish language and though they are sometimes timid, they can read and speak with an ease that I have never had the opportunity to develop. They have nurtured friendships that are so dear, they have learned to value differences, and they have learned that you can count on people to be there for you. Our experience here has been more than I could have ever hoped for them. North Hi Mount has truly been a gift to our family.
Our school is a beautiful historic building, full of charm, full of history, full of kids and adults doing life and doing school each day. But it’s the people within the school walls that are the true treasure. Teachers and staff show up at the break of dawn to be ready to welcome our kids. Their step counts grow as they instruct and guide and move with classes in a whirlwind of controlled chaos every day. They give of themselves, give their time and talents, they give a sense of community and camaraderie that’s evident. It’s no small task educating our youth. It’s no small feat to raise a village.
How can we possibly say thank you, how can we possibly put into words what the actions of so many have meant? “Thank you” just doesn’t quite come close. But the sentiment is real, the gratitude is there.
Most years I’ve said thank you by helping in my kids’ classrooms, by gathering supplies needed and organizing class parties. Most years I’ve been at storybook parades and walkathons, taking pictures of smiling faces so that we can capture those smiles in the yearbook. Most years I’ve been doing “PTA jobs” as I call them of every shape and size. But remember, this year has been anything but typical. The things we usually do look different and the ways we give are different.
Last summer, our NHM family came together and pulled off a virtual hug for our school in the form of our first virtual auction fundraiser. We surprised ourselves and figured out a way to give differently. And hasn’t everything been virtual and different this year? We’ve now had zoom meetings and scavenger hunts and classwork and teacher conferences and awards assemblies and yes, even another virtual auction fundraiser. And I keep thinking of something I learned long ago…It’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different. Life’s like that. We have to choose to make the lemonade from the lemons. And I see our whole NHM family doing that every day in their own way…teachers, staff, kids, and parents all doing things differently but still making a difference.
One small thing we did was raise some funds with the specific goal of redoing the teacher lounge for our staff. It actually was a big thing and a big deal that we were able to have the ability to do that. Thank you, thank you for making that happen. While the school doors were closed before the whirlwind of controlled chaos began again last fall, we were able to give back to our teachers and staff. Updating a lounge or breakroom may not seem important. Teachers spend most of their day NOT taking a break. But it’s a gesture that says, “You’re doing a great job, you are appreciated, you are valued.” And hasn’t this year been all about the little gestures that become the big gestures? We see them in our homes, we see them with our friends and family, and yes, we see those gestures in our schools each day, and we say THANK YOU.