September 29, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
The six school PTOs started brainstorming early this summer about ways to express their wholehearted thanks and support, when school reopened this fall, for the hard work of Hingham Public Schools teachers, administrators, and staff during this "new world of learning."
In light of the pandemic and the schools being shut down for so long, "and because of the efforts made by teachers and staff to get all the kids back to school and all the challenges to overcome, we wanted to show a unified front, involving all the PTOs, as a sign of appreciation for all their hard work at every level," Hingham Middle School PTO President Betsy Crouch told the Hingham Anchor.
For one, the Apple Project fundraising effort was a big success, with the sale of nearly 500 wooden door signs decorated with the word "Hingham" -- with a red "apple" for the "a" -- and red apples with an "H" in the middle for "Hingham," to show townwide support for HPS educators, administrators, staff, and students, as part of a community-building effort. The signs, at $20 each, sold quickly.
"The teachers and others were so touched by this show of support," said Plymouth River School PTO President Renee Besser. "It was a moving experience to see all the red hearts that were posted in the community to express support for essential workers, and we decided we wanted to do something similar for our teachers and staff. It's little things like this that mean a lot."
The door signs were designed by Rustic Marlin of Hanover, with half of the roughly $10,000 in proceeds — or about $5,000 — split among the six elementary school PTOs for the purpose of benefitting the teachers and students in a way of their choosing, since each school has its own goals. "It's a win-win situation," Besser said.
When the PTOs reached out to Wahlburgers at the Hingham Shipyard to ask if the restaurant would be willing to deliver lunch -- their famous burgers and signature tater tots -- to all the teachers and staff when school first started, owner Paul Wahlberg not only agreed, but also offered to donate the tasty meals.
"Wahlburgers really supports the Hingham community," Crouch said.
The PTOs also organized "Welcome Back" signs for each school to greet all returning students, staff, and educators as they walked through the door on Monday for the first day of in-person learning for most students. These signs were generously donated by South Shore Yard Cards and South Shore Lawn Greetings.
"We knew there was a heated discussion regarding whether to go back to school in-person or not, and we wanted to help alleviate [that situation]," Crouch said. "We just wanted to support our town, which is going through an unprecedented time, the best way we knew how, and to get the kids excited to be back in school. The signs took a little of the edge off."
The response was enthusiastic. "Some of the kids were a little nervous on the first day of school and were glad to see these super-happy, fun, 'welcome back' signs with really cute pictures of buses, microscopes, backpacks, and other school items at each building," Crouch said.
The PTOs' appreciation extended as well to cafeteria staff -- who are working hard to prepare meals in a safe way for the students -- and other support staff. "We wanted everyone to feel included," Crouch said.
The approach was a little different at the Middle School, where the PTO purchased smaller signs conveying different messages -- "We are in this together!" "Harbormen Strong!" "Imagine! Believe! Achieve!" "You were missed!" and "Welcome Back!" These signs brought joy to students and staff alike.
A colorful sign in front of the school administration office expressing thanks for their hard work was appreciated by the entire staff.
Both Crouch and Besser commended Josh Ross for his support and hard work on these back-to-school projects.