Students and their families watching the school year's slideshow projected on the shed. Families were organized into spots six feet apart.
Kindergarten graduate Sophia Mendenhall poses with her teacher Hali Richmond. Sophia was given her graduation cake to take home and enjoy with her family after Richmond and Toni Hatten learned they could not serve food.
Gift bags line the right side of the path leading to the Sunset School. Each contained a few gifts for the students, their report card and a specialty cookie made for the celebration. Hatten bound the fifth-seventh grade journal assignments that they wrote during remote learning and included them as well. The bags were a last minute adjustment when the school was told that they could not serve food or hand students anything.
GREENOUGH - Multi-colored cones lined the grass outside of Sunset School as the teachers recognized their students for finishing out the unexpected school year. Roughly 10 families gathered under summer dusk Friday, May 29 to watch.
"We are thankful that we are still able to come together to celebrate what you have learned and accomplished each school year," said teacher Toni Hatten.
For the 29 students, parents and teachers in attendance, the ceremony was the first time the group was able to be all together since March 16 when the Governor closed schools in Montana.
Though only 14 students are enrolled at the two-room Sunset School, they still had to follow the Missoula City-County Health Department rules for social gatherings for their end of the year celebration. They maintained a six-foot distance between families, didn't shake hands or hug and asked those who were sick to stay home.
"I know all of you are excited to see each other, though you can not hang out together just yet," said Hatten. "We are a loving school, so this is really hard for us, but we will do it for the sake of everyone's health."
Festivities at the celebration included a slideshow projected onto the side of the school's shed. It highlighted the students' trip to Glacier National Park, their arts and crafts and the students' experience doing school from home.
Sofia Mendenhall was the recognized student of the night for graduating kindergarten and moving on to first grade. All students gave a rose to a family member to represent the work they put in to help educate their kids from home during the coronavirus.
No student graduated from the K-8th grade school and are all expected to return in the fall.
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