A favorite day for Barrow students is our annual Polar Express Day.  This year was our first year back in our new building, so of course, this day brought new surprises for students.  All of the favorite traditions were there, too:

• All students wore pajamas.  Our counselor, family engagement specialist, and PTA made sure that all students had pajamas.
• Every class came to the library to listen to the Polar Express read by William Hurt
• Students were served hot chocolate with marshmallows by several fantastic volunteers.
• Each student received a bell placed around their neck with the word “Always Believe” whispered in their ear.
• Each student received a candy cane as they left the library.

Some new surprises this year:

• Kevin O’Neil, Barrow Dad, dressed up as a waiter to serve the 1st 2 groups hot chocolate
• Our school was decorated in several collaborative spaces for multiple holidays, not just Christmas
• 3 sets of train tracks brought kids to the library
• Our display wall outside the library was transformed into a train.  The tv screens all displayed images from Polar Express
• Holiday music was played throughout the halls
• The projectors in the collaborative space played a crackling fire
• The projector in the library played falling snow
• This year our hot chocolate pouring and bell prep was in a separate room so it wasn’t as distracting to the kids
• The train schedule of classes was posted outside the library

This is truly a magical day.  It takes a huge team effort to pull this off.  There are so many hands in this day that it’s hard to list them all.  Many thanks to:

• Our lunchroom staff for fixing chocolate for 500 on top of fixing breakfast and lunch
• Our principal for organizing volunteers through Signup Genius, creating a schedule, and making sure supplies were bought
• Volunteers who went out to search the stores for bells, string, hot chocolate, cups, napkins, and candy canes.  It was quite a big search!
• Our PTA for helping string 500+ bells
• Sarah Britton Vaughn, Mimi Elliott-Gower, Allision Griffith, and several others who stayed late Tuesday night to put up some extra magic in the hallways
• Multiple volunteers who poured hot chocolate, put bells around necks, and cleaned up spills
• Todd Hollett for working long hours to figure out our hallway technology