By MADDY VITALE
The Ocean City Parent Teacher Association has had to find creative ways to reach out to the school community to express gratitude for the work of the educators on behalf of the students.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week but with COVID-19 forcing the continued shutdown of schools, the PTA needed a new plan.
“The PTA always celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week with luncheons at each school and the district office. We do coffee and snack carts throughout the week with gifts and obviously we can’t do it,” PTA President Jocelyn Palaganas pointed out.
With the shift to online learning in March and the statewide shutdown of schools to continue social distancing amid the pandemic, Palaganas had to find an alternative way to express gratitude toward the teachers in the district.
“The teachers are still teaching the kids and we wanted to recognize them,” she said.
The PTA, through funds raised throughout the school year, purchased items to put into gift bags for each of the 93 teachers at the primary and intermediate schools.
In the bags, put together by Palaganas, are T-shirts that say “DEDICATED TEACHER — even from a DISTANCE,” soaps, snacks, potted plants and cloth face masks.
The face masks were handmade by Heather McTigue Town, a 2002 Ocean City High School graduate.
Palaganas said the PTA really wanted to support local businesses as well during a difficult and challenging time.
“We wanted to support some local businesses and we also want to show how much we appreciated Heather Town’s work. She worked night and day on the masks,” she added.
Throughout Tuesday, Palaganas and other parents and their children went out to make deliveries, while utilizing social distancing practices.
They were Shannon McAllister, Kate Geary with daughters Maeve and Colleen, Sara Dunn and her daughters Cailyn and Lindsay, as well as parents who are also teachers in the district, Steve Berseris and Christie Pontari.
“I assembled and coordinated the baskets with the three moms for a small committee,” Palaganas explained. “Some of the baskets were shipped today to go to teachers who live an hour away. Throughout today they are making deliveries to Cape May County and Atlantic County.”
Town said she was happy to support the district by making the face coverings.
“This is such an honor because I grew up in Ocean City,” Town noted. “I graduated in 2002. My husband went to OCHS and graduated in ’99, and both my parents graduated from OCHS.”
