Tri-Cities teacher throws grad party for kindergartners caught by COVID shutdown

Annie Patterson didn’t expect her classroom to close so suddenly and to not see her students again.

She decided to make up for it with a special backyard graduation.

The kindergarten teacher at White Bluffs Elementary in Richland wrapped up the school year by holding a ceremony to celebrate their last three months of hard work at home.

“The reason I decided to do the end of year celebration was to give kids a sense of closure and to celebrate their academic success — since we ended school so abruptly,” said Patterson, who has been an educator at White Bluffs for six years and a teacher for 21.

Because of the coronavirus school shutdowns, she hadn’t seen her students in class since mid-March.

“I don’t think we’ll see the effect for years to come,” she said.

Patterson held virtual Zoom meetings three times a week with her class, and occasionally invited students and parents to come for socially-distanced lessons on topics such as ladybugs.

A parent asked if Patterson would consider some sort of ceremony to wrap up the school year and celebrate the children becoming first-graders.

She held the ceremony in her West Richland yard. Students were treated with a walk across her porch — complete with cap and mask — to collect a certificate that marked their official advancement to first-grade.

Families lined up six feet apart on a wall on the edge of Patterson’s yard while one family at a time came to cheer on their graduate.

While Patterson was nervous about having the ceremony and ensuring all safety precautions were taken, many parents were very appreciative.

“We are in this together and it takes everyone together to get through this,” Patterson said. “It will give them a sense of closure and to celebrate their academic success and at-home learning.”