By Mrs. Dawn Bischoff and Mrs. Denise Logue, Southern Regional High School Senior Class Advisors
By the second week of quarantine, we realized that this situation was not going to end any time soon.
Our immediate thoughts, as class advisors, centered around our seniors. We got on the phone with each other and started tossing around ways in which we could encourage our students, but more importantly show our seniors that we love them and that they have not been forgotten.
Several ideas went back and forth until we landed on creating and distributing yard signs. We wanted to accomplish a few things with this message, the most important was to show our senior class how much they mean to us and to the entire Southern Regional High School family, and that everyone is here to support them. Our message to them: WE LOVE OUR SENIORS, Class of 2020, Southern Regional Rams.
With that decision, we had to get approval from our principal, Eric Wilhelm, who gave us his blessing and then gained approval from our superintendent, Craig Henry.
Everyone was super supportive and loved the idea for our seniors. We ordered the signs on a Tuesday and by Friday they were delivered by UPS. Denise and I, with the support of senior Vice Principal Susan Craig immediately went to work with maps, highlighters and lists charting the course for distributing signs to Manahawkin, Long Beach Island, Beach Haven West, Cedar Run, West Creek and Waretown.
With that done, we began soliciting volunteers – and that was the easy part. Anytime you do anything the “Southern Way,” you get enthusiastic and eager support from friends and colleagues.
By Saturday morning we had all of the signs assembled and we were ready to roll out our mission. It was Denise’s idea to place the signs on Saturday night so that our kids would wake up to a surprise on Easter Sunday.
The mission started as a way to encourage and show love to our senior class. We believe that our friends and colleagues enjoyed placing signs on a dark Saturday night, knowing they were bringing light to more than 450 seniors during a difficult time.
The highlight for us was seeing the photos of our seniors with their brightest smiles posing with their signs all over social media. You know the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and to us it was priceless.
Our mission was to spread joy, share love and see our graduating seniors smile; we believe our mission was completed.
We are proud to be the advisors for the Class of 2020 and they will, with no doubt, go on to do great things.
