'WE MISS YOU': Amherst teachers hold parking lot parade to see kids

AMHERST — "Oh, that's Jacob! I've missed you, buddy," Johana Bierek shouted from her car, beaming at a little boy who passed by with a big grin on his face. She was one of a dozen second-grade teachers who threw a parking lot parade Tuesday at Powers Elementary School for their students. Keeping a safe distance to avoid coronavirus contamination, they popped out of sunroofs, waved teddy bears and puppets, raised pom-poms and sported green and gold to greet families that drove through. "They're like family," Bierek said, waving to kids who beamed from back seats. Kendra Santoro waved to 8-year-olds, urging them to stay healthy and promising to hold video-chat sessions with them every Monday. "You hanging in there?" she asked second-grader Abdiel Donzales. "I miss seeing you every day!" After three weeks with schools closed by executive order, Santoro said she didn't realize how much she missed her kids. "The first week it was really nice to have a little break and be home. Now it's just getting really sad," she said. Teacher Deanna Walther said she got emotional seeing kids again on video check-in calls that started Monday. "I had to stop and get it together," she said. "I was so happy to see them, I was afraid I was going to lose it and start crying." The upside of being forced to teach from home this spring is that she's discovered new tools that she plans to continue using in the fall. Walther said she's hooked on Google Classroom, and plans to use the online platform instead of pencil-and-paper homework next year. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.