Coronavirus News: Long Island teachers, staff do drive-by greeting for students

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Coronavirus News: Long Island teachers, staff do drive-by greeting for students

Kristin Thorne reports on Long Island elementary school teachers and staff doing a drive-by greeting for students.

LEVITTOWN, Long Island (WABC) -- Teachers and staff at Summit Lane Elementary School in Levittown made sure Thursday that their students know they are thinking about them -- from a distance.

"We want to let them know that we're still here and we're going to get through this," principal Keith Squillacioti said.

About 46 members of the school joined the caravan driving past every one of their students' homes Thursday morning, honking their horns and waving.

Many of them had signs on their cars saying, "We miss you" and "Summit Strong." The whole route was estimated to take two and half hours.

"We sent out a couple of phone messages, and we sent out an email saying where we're stopping and windows of time," Squillacioti said.

Students waited on their front lawns with their parents also holding signs saying they missed their teachers.

"I miss my teachers so much," first-grader Sebastian Zena said.

Parent Wendell Douglin said he appreciated the teachers and staff members taking the time to see the children.

"It's good to get them all together, just so they see some bright at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Similar drive-by greetings have been done in Oceanside and Thursday students of Merrimac Elementary School in the Sachem School District also got to see their teachers and staff members from a distance as they drove down neighborhood roads also honking and waving.