There was a secret making its way through the halls of Yowell Elementary last week, and somehow, the adults managed to keep it from the kids.
On Friday morning, teachers walked their students to the gym, dropped them off and quietly slipped away to change. Minutes later, those same teachers began reappearing on a red carpet as clowns, superheroes, princesses and even a carrot.
It was Yowell’s first “Underground Spirit Day,” with participating staff members choosing a letter of the alphabet and creating a costume to match. Principal Angie Fiscus introduced them in ABC order, complete with fun bios for each teacher and costume, while students cheered.
And the staff committed to it.
Mrs. Bopp entered as “B” — Belle from Beauty and the Beast — and some of Yowell’s littlest students came unglued when they thought the actual Belle had arrived at Yowell.
Deputy Kam, Yowell’s school resource officer, traded his uniform and became Batman, with Nurse Robin joining him as his sidekick, Robin. Mrs. Dugger came as a pinata and threw candy! Mrs. Wheeler transformed into Elphaba, complete with a broom she made from sticks collected in her own yard.
Mrs. Dunn and Mrs. Ponce brought the letter “C” to life as clowns and ultimately earned Best Overall honors with their tricks on the runway.
But one of the sweetest moments of the morning came from one of the simplest costumes.
Yowell speech therapist Dr. Capellini is sometimes known to her students as “Miss Cara.” Depending on which young student is saying it, “Miss Cara” can sometimes sound a little more like “Miss Carrot.”
So, naturally, she came dressed as a carrot.
As she made her way down the red carpet, one of her kindergarten students spotted her and held his hands up to make a heart.
“It was one of those little moments that gets you,” Fiscus said. “Here she is dressed like a carrot, and this little guy sees his Miss Cara and makes a heart with his hands for her. It was such a reminder of how special these relationships are to our kids. They know who their people are.”
Members of the Culpeper County Public Schools Central Office joined the fun as guest judges. The awards were fun, but winning was never really the point. The idea was simply to surprise the students and bring a little extra joy to an ordinary school day.
“School is important work, but it should also be a place filled with joy,” Fiscus said. “I love that our staff is willing to do something a little ridiculous just because they know it will make our kids smile.”
For one Friday morning, that meant clowns, superheroes, a princess, a witch, and one very loved carrot walking the red carpet at Yowell Elementary.