Every graduating Woodland Hills High School senior received a special surprise on Wednesday.

Teachers and staff from the district delivered yard signs to students commemorate their upcoming graduation, a tradition that began last year. Twelve communities feed into the district.

“It shows that we’re here for them and we’ll always be here for them,” Assistant Principal Pamela White said. “Even if we haven’t seen them in person, they know we care about them.”

The materials for yard signs were donated by the Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation, a nonprofit named after a member of the Woodland Hills class of 2016 who died at the age of 17 after complications with Crohn’s disease.

Her mother, Lori McDowell, was organizing the sign distribution on Wednesday morning. She said her late daughter, a Wolverines cheerleader, would have loved to be involved in something like this.

“Her Wolverines meant everything to her,” McDowell said. “Wolverines come out for Wolverines.”

Nearly 40 teachers and staff members met at the high school to organize and pick up signs. A caravan of teachers and staff, armed with yard signs and pom-poms, left the school with a chorus of honking horns and cheers to deliver a sign personally to each of the district’s approximately 250 graduating seniors.

“The teachers enjoy it,” Principal Phillip Woods said. “It’s rewarding to send them off with a smile.”

After a year of cancellations, remote learning and other pandemic challenges, the class of 2021 deserved recognition, McDowell said.

“Because of the pandemic and what our 2020 and 2021 graduates had to endure, we need to celebrate them,” McDowell said. “We’re trying to start a tradition. It’s a celebration.”

Melissa Bostard, a teacher at the high school, said she hasn’t seen some of her students in-person in over a year. Even those that have returned to the classroom recently have faced major obstacles throughout the pandemic.

“I feel so bad for our seniors,” she said. “I think they realize we miss them. This will prove we care about them.”

Many teachers participated the event last year, when stay-at-home orders forced schools to shut down and seniors to miss out on major high school hallmarks. But delivering signs was a good way to share some cheer with seniors then, said Corrine Grischow, a high school teacher who said she was eager to participate again this year.

“It was exciting,” she said, adding that she was eager to see students in person again this year.

Wednesdays are typically reserved for remote teaching, but teachers volunteered their time to make sure every senior felt special, Woods said. Teachers and staff volunteered to deliver signs in specific neighborhoods or to students they worked with closely.

Though some seniors had already found yard signs to display, he noted that not everyone had the means to do so. Having the Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation ensure everyone had a sign meant no senior would be left out, he said.

Collaborating with the foundation allowed the district to organize an event that would not have been possible without community support, Woods said.

“It’s a testament to what can be possible when the community and school come together,” he said. “I think it’s going to be meaningful.”

Amber Mesko, who teaches at Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy, organized much of the logistics behind orchestrating a smooth yard sign delivery event. As a Woodland Hills graduate, Meska said it was important to make sure graduates knew the community still cared about them, even after a challenging year.

“Even though it was difficult times, we still appreciate them,” she said. “We still want them to be successful in their futures.”

Lynn Banaszak, president of the Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation, said she hadn’t realized how emotional the yard sign drop-offs would be when they had the idea last year. She immediately knew it would be a tradition worth continuing. She said she hoped to offer joy and inspiration to a graduating class that has already overcome unique challenges.

“They should approach the future with enthusiasm and optimism,” Banaszak said. “They should always feel empowered to speak up and stand up for what matters.”

This is just the first of several events that will honor the class of 2021, Woods said. They’ll also have prom, academic and athletic awards and a graduation ceremony.

“It just shows the love we have for our students,” Assistant Principal Jim Chavis said. “We haven’t forgotten them.”

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