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Mikayla Mariano poses for a photo next to a message written on her driveway by her Pinecrest Academy teacher Avery Sage.
Saturday, April 11, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Caden Collier poses for a photo next to a message written on his driveway by his Pinecrest Academy teacher Avery Sage.
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As children in the Las Vegas Valley adjust to remote learning, one teacher decided to give her students an extra-personal message of encouragement.
Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon fifth-grade teacher Avery Sage briefly visited all 27 of her students’ homes Sunday and Monday to write notes in chalk on their sidewalks or driveways. Each note included a tailored message about the student’s academic and personal strengths.
“It was just kind of a way to pick up my kids’ spirits,” Sage said. “With online school, I can tell they’re having a really hard time and missing that connection. I just wanted to send them a personal hello and a little greeting without seeing (them).”
Sage managed to write the messages without any of her students seeing her from inside their homes. Two parents, however, did spot her while she was writing in chalk, she said.
The responses from both parents and students have been overwhelmingly positive, Sage said.
“I’ve gotten so many sweet emails and notes. The parents were almost shocked that someone would do this,” she said. “For me, it was like, it’s such a simple thing. It didn’t even cost half a tank of gas.”
In addition, Sage has been sending her students short videos of herself and her dog exploring different close-to-home spots — “adventure videos,” she calls them. The goal with those is to make them laugh or smile.
“The kids are probably sitting at home, struggling,” she said. “I can’t imagine going through this at 10 years old.”
Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon Principal Lisa Satory said Sage has done “a remarkable job” educating and connecting with her students during the school closure.
“Her positive approach is so impactful,” Satory wrote in an email.
Sage says her inspiration comes from the students themselves.
“I think they deserve so much more than these little things,” she said. “To me, writing a note in chalk or making a video is nothing, but to them, it means so much.”
