Kynnedi Hines was in virtual class at her home in Hapeville when the doorbell rang. But her dad interrupted and told her she needed to go the door.
Greeting her with a poster and a swag bag of treats was Stuart Gulley, president of Woodward Academy.
“It was a surprise that he was just there,” said Hines, a Woodward senior on track to graduate in May. “I had no idea; they didn’t tell us they were doing this.”
Making house calls to deliver yard signs and goodie bags with treats baked in the school’s kitchens isn’t in the job description for high school faculty, but on a recent Friday, 25 Woodward teachers and staffers took on the task and headed out with a special message to 281 seniors. Each took a share of the graduation list and left the school at 9 a.m., fanning out across the metro area and returning seven hours later with their mission accomplished.
“The group I delivered to were all very shocked and pleased,” said Gulley. “As we started making deliveries, the students started putting the word out, so by the end of the day, it wasn’t as much of a surprise. They just didn’t know who would show up at the door.”
The gesture was a recognition of the students’ challenges in an unusual senior year and was inspired by a similar event in April.
“The pandemic hit in mid-March, and by April, it was clear we couldn’t continue with our graduation as we’d hoped,” said Gulley. “So on the last day of class, we took the seniors a graduation sign and gave them some gifts. The seniors this year have also missed out on a great deal, but rather than waiting for April, we thought this was a great way to begin the spring semester and the countdown to graduation.”
Hines, who plans to study pre-law at Florida A&M in the fall, was impressed by the gesture that acknowledged what a challenging school year it’s been.
“It has been difficult, but my school has done a lot to make us feel like we would have if things were kind of normal,” she said. “I appreciate what they’ve done and for personally hand-delivering such a nice gift of brownies, cookies and M&Ms, and a sign I put out on the lawn with my name on it that says I’m looking forward to graduation 2021. They didn’t tell us it was happening, but it shows how they went the extra mile for us. I’m very grateful.”’
Who’s doing good? Each Sunday, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com
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