by Hanna Singh
The Simsboro School staff bridged the gap between teachers and students during the summer months with a special day dedicated to preparing for the upcoming school year.
During the Popsicles and Paws Tour, volunteer teachers and staff members took the Simsboro school bus from stop to stop throughout the community to meet incoming students and bring them a sweet treat.
In an effort to welcome students back to school and build stronger connections with families and community members, the bus made stops at apartments, day cares and community areas to meet and greet the kids. Simsboro Principal Lacey Holcomb described the intention behind bringing the event to life for the first time last year.
“We started this event last summer. It was an idea we had been discussing for a couple of years and just had not been able to put the pieces together to figure out exactly what it should look like,” Holcomb said. “We finally came up with this idea as a way to visit with the kids, welcome them back to school, and spread a little joy. We really do miss the kids over the summer, and it is so good to see their faces when we go hand out the popsicles.”
As a K-12 school, Simsboro encompasses children of all ages throughout the community. During the summer, many of these students spend their days at day cares, play centers, recreational programs or around their neighborhoods. With the Popsicles and Paws Tour, teachers were able to see the students in a different environment outside the regular classroom.
Assistant Principal Jonathan Hood highlighted the importance of reaching the kids and their families outside the classroom.
“It’s the first time we get to see some of the students in a few months, and it’s so fun to interact with them just as normal kids in their own neighborhoods — not a structured environment like inside the school walls,” Hood said. “Kids get so excited about seeing their teachers. It builds trust and relationships between those kids and their teachers because we are going out to see them and, as a bonus, we bring them popsicles.”
This year, the bus made stops at the apartments on College Avenue in Grambling, Kiddie Palace in Simsboro, the Braswell Lane mobile home community, and Regan Maden Park in Simsboro. The tour around town allowed students in all different areas to meet their teachers without having to travel to school for an event. It brought joy to the kids and their families to see their school staff taking the time and effort to visit them and bring them a treat during their summer break.
Fifth-grade teacher Teyauna Shorter shared her favorite part of volunteering for the event.
“I liked seeing the connections with the families and getting to meet siblings,” Shorter said.
With the tour of Simsboro bringing a bit of end-of-summer joy to all, the Simsboro staff and students are ready for a fun and successful school year. Thanks to the teachers and staff who volunteered, students can enter the school year knowing their educators are looking out for them wherever they may be.
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