You may have seen an eye-catching vehicle rolling around town on Thursday, May 28. For twenty-one of Conway’s Kiddie Kollege preschool students and their families, it was a day they will never forget!
Owner/Director risten Conway knew a few months ago that the traditional Move-Up Celebration, most recently held at East Granby Farms, would not be possible due to the coronavirus. In her typical above-and-beyond fashion, she and her teachers began thinking outside the box about ways to celebrate, giving each student a moment to shine.
Kristen and her husband, Greg, carefully crafted a bright and beautiful “stage” on a trailer, repurposing a wooden structure that is usually located inside the imaginative play area of the classroom. The stage was made complete with picket fencing, artificial grass, stars decorated by the students with their names and enlarged photos of each student. With beloved teachers Miss Mary, Miss Kelli, Miss Karen and Miss Anne following along in their own cars, the Conway’s spent 10 hours driving from house to house to give each student their own private graduation ceremony.
As the Conway’s put the finishing touches on the stage at each home, the graduate got dressed in a white cap and gown (a men’s dress shirt put on with the buttons in the back!). The graduate was then invited to walk up the ramp to the stage, while their teachers and family proudly looked on. Miss Kristen spoke briefly about the class as a whole and then shared words about the graduating student, as written by the teachers, before presenting the student with a diploma. For some students, the highlight came after their diploma was presented, when they had the opportunity to dance on stage to a favorite song of the class, “The Tooty Ta”!
Despite the disappointment of the children missing out on their last few months together at Conway’s Kiddie Kollege, Move-Up Day on the Move was a day filled with only happiness and gratitude for being a part of such an exceptional community.