A sweet surprise: Greystone Elementary pupils dealt with to Sweet Land decorations – Shelby County Reporter

HOOVER – When learners arrived at Greystone Elementary School on the early morning of Monday, Feb. 8, they found the hallways of the school had been transformed into a lifetime-size model of the Candy Land activity.

Gumdrop cutouts, sweet canes and brightly colored squares mimicking the recreation board lined the partitions, ushering learners and staff as a result of a cheerful childhood wonderland.

“They had been in awe of it,” Greystone Elementary PTA President Michelle Olson explained. “The instructors understood that we ended up likely to be decorating the school, but I think the end merchandise was way a lot more than they had envisioned or anticipated.”

Olson and her fellow PTA customers have been the masterminds—and chaotic hands—behind the Sweet Land decorations.

“As with most educational institutions, so several applications and situations that the PTA normally does have experienced to be canceled because of COVID. We as a PTA team have been attempting to consider exterior the box to arrive up with new suggestions,” Olson explained. “We seriously wanted to do some thing particular for the small children, primarily since this school yr has seemed so diverse for them. A little something that would convey a smile to their confront and be a distinctive memory and permit them know how a lot the Greystone teachers, employees and mothers and fathers appreciate them.”

Olson pitched the strategy at a PTA meeting of decorating the faculty and obtained fast support from customers and the school’s administrative workers.

The subsequent move was to ascertain how to carry out the undertaking as a shock, but also in maintaining with COVID-19 safeguards.

“We could not enhance or consider measurements with young children in faculty for the duration of the day,” Olson stated. “So, we had to go by pictures that had been emailed to us and generate our models from there. We had a number of Zoom phone calls and loads of team texts to make this a fact.”

Volunteers commenced location up and decorating on Friday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m., right after all students had long gone property.

They worked right up until just after 11 p.m. that night and then returned to the school on Saturday and Sunday to finish.

“Lots and lots of hours had been supplied to make this eyesight a truth,” Olson reported. “We had our PTA board there, and numerous other moms and dads there to assistance – with masks on and 6 ft aside. Our awesome principal, Dr. (Stacey) Stocks, and Vice Principal Mrs. (Sherita) Williams sacrificed their weekend as nicely to be at the school with us so that we could set up.”

Olson explained the conclude product or service was worth each individual moment of work the group poured into the challenge.

“Unfortunately, with COVID restrictions, we could not be there to witness the enjoyment Monday early morning from our children, but the academics and staff members captured it for us and despatched us a lot of pics and video clips,” Olson reported. “We could see them smiling from ear to ear through their masks. My boys couldn’t wait around to get residence and convey to me all about the transformation to Sweet Land. Some of our lecturers even prolonged the decorations into their rooms, and they are all tying in Candy Land to some of their lesson strategies with the children. It was a huge achievement.”

The decorations will remain up via the conclude of February.

“This was the initial calendar year we have performed this,” Olson reported, “And who understands, it’s possible it will come to be a annually custom.”