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As communities across the country celebrate the contributions of educators during Teacher Appreciation Week, Eastern Elementary School took a slightly different tack this week.

In addition to honoring the men and women who make such profound differences in the lives of their students, the school also saluted local parents for stepping up to the plate while students are out of school for the rest of the year.

“We are creating content and giving feedback, but right now, the parents are the facilitators,” EES Principal Seth Smith explained. “We understand that they are juggling a job, or juggling the lack of a job right now, and trying to keep all this together and keep their children moving forward academically.”

From having to be more involved with their children’s schoolwork to learning how to use new technology, Smith says parents at his school have done a tremendous job adapting to unusual circumstances.

“The response from our community has been wonderfully positive, optimistic and resolute that they’re going to do whatever it takes to keep this ship moving,” Smith said. “I think it speaks a lot to the community of Beaufort County and the community that surrounds Eastern Elementary School. There wasn’t a question of ‘Are we going to do this?’ We’ve had parents just being so creative and rising to the challenge.”

As a parent himself, Smith says he recognizes how difficult it can be to have a child at home all day while trying to still carry on with a job. In the long run, he says this time at home will likely provide many parents with a new perspective on their children and their individual learning styles.

“I think this has connected and invested families and teachers in new ways that I do think has potential to form stronger partnerships,” Smith said. “It’s like when you’re on a team and you go through something really tough together. You end up coming out stronger on the other end because of it.”

The EES Parent Appreciation video can be viewed at youtu.be/hr6ljnBUkm4.