'Together We Are Strong': Students Cheer For Teacher Parade

SOUTHOLD, NY — Holding up brightly decorated signs and cheering, students waved to their beloved teachers and staff Thursday as educators created a caravan of caring and set off on a parade through town to remind the kids that coronavirus has nothing on Southold school spirit.

"We held a truly amazing event in Southold yesterday," David Gamberg, Superintendent of the Southold Union Free School District, said Friday. "This experience was so needed at this time for all concerned. Students of Southold, their families, and senior citizens all stood outside waiting for the arrival of a stream of cars with teachers reconnecting with them throughout our community. It was simply so wonderful!"

(Courtesy Southold Union Free School District)

Almost 100 cars, trucks, fire engines, police, and emergency vehicles meandered through the
streets of Southold Thursday for "a very special way to connect between the teachers and staff at
Southold Schools and the students of the learning community," a release from the district said.

Horns and sirens punctuated the bright and sunny May morning, as teachers waved from their vehicles to children of all ages, as well as parents, grandparents, and others over the course of the almost two-hour steady stream of vehicles that paraded through the neighborhoods of Southold, the release said.

One of the organizers of the event, physical education teacher Pete Salerno, reflected on why it meant so much to the community. "What seemed like a simple gesture turned out to mean a whole lot more on so many levels," he said.

Co-organizer and elementary school secretary Marlene Bufkins added, “The sense of true community that came about organically from our staff, students, and the residents of Southold was a humbling experience that reinforced that together we are strong.”

The district said that, at a time "when people yearn for human connection in a safe way, these moments were cherished by both the people driving in the parade and those watching on sidelines of their front porches and edges of sidewalks and grassy lawns. Events like this are taking place all across the country and Southold was no exception."

Cars were decorated with red and white streamers and balloons, while kids held up large, decorated signs with words of gratitude for their teachers as they passed by their homes.

"It was clearly an emotional experience and a well-deserved breath of fresh air after months of
isolation and longing," the district said.

Gamberg thanked Southold Town Police and the Southold Fire Department, who not only took time to join the parade, but also helped to coordinate "a safe and effective process."

"I was standing outside the store watching the Southold School teacher parade go by with horns, signs, flowers, streamers, pom-poms — what a beautiful thing," Susan Tyler said. "I'm sure you made everyone smile today. I cried while I smiled! What a wonderful community we live in. Well done, Southold! Let's see a computer do that!"

This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch