LAURINBURG — Wishes from teachers lit up the sky at Sycamore Lane Primary and Elementary School on Sunday night as teachers and staff celebrated the beginning of the school year.

The “Unleashing the Power Ceremony” had each grade level at Sycamore Lane releasing lanterns into the sky symbolizing the three wishes that they had for the school year.

“This is an unusual year,” said Sycamore Lane Elementary Principal Fannie Mason. “Kids get excited to go back to school because they’re getting new clothes, they’re getting to go back to see their friends but no so this year. So what we’ve had to do is create some excitement in any way that we can to connect with our kids.”

During the ceremony, staff read off one of the wishes that they had made for the school year as children, parents and community members watched from their cars. There was also a wish from the Board of Education with Vice-Chair Carolyn Banks and Superintendent Ron Hargrave releasing the lantern.

“It was an awesome event and we need to have more of this,” Banks said. “I think it was good for the students but also the teachers and staff members … this helps build morale in the county and we really need that right now.”

Mason also wanted to be able to involve the community with the event as she wants to spread the word that it is going to take everyone to make online learning work for students.

“We want the community to know that we need everybody to help us get this off the ground,” Mason said. “It’s going to take the entire community if we’re going to be successful with teaching our kids this first quarter since they’ll be at home.”

Some ways of helping the students that Mason spoke on was opening up churches or other locations in the community that have WiFi during school hours for those students who don’t have access to WiFi in their homes.

“We’re just hoping we can get kids excited,” Masons aid. “I am praying to get as many children online as we can. I just need every parent, every community member to realize it isn’t just us, we’ve got to have everybody … it’s a community effort if we’re going to make this work.”

Reach Katelin Gandee at [email protected].