Waves of Blue: D-NH schools hold week-ending wave caravan

DIKE-NEW HARTFORD- It’s Friday morning. There’s a massive line of cars being led by a dancing school mascot in the flatbed of a pickup truck outside of your house.

That was a common sight for residents in the Dike-New Hartford area last Friday as a "wave caravan" rolled out through several towns in the Dike-New Hartford area.

The caravan was organized as a way for Dike-New Hartford school district members to celebrate the teachers and students of the area, and to show both sides -- teachers and the community members, are missed by one another while practicing good social distancing techniques.

The parade began its journey in New Hartford, at 9 a.m., then made its way through Stout, on to the Dietrick Mobile Home Park, and then finally ending in Dike around 11 a.m. All the while, there were loud cheers and horns happily honking as the teachers piloted their cars slowly through the many neighborhoods in the community.

The long train of cars was led by one of the district’s yellow school busses, and followed closely behind by a pick-up truck with D-NH Superintendent Justin Stockdale bringing a full-tilt energy in the Wolverine mascot uniform.

Turnout was substantial for the parade, with people either in their cars, or posted in their own yards to greet the teachers with signs and pictures. Windows of both cars and homes were decorated with declarations of “We Miss You!” and “#rollblue”, the hashtag used to trend events in the Dike-New Hartford community.

At the end of the line, another thanks awaited the community members who may have put off breakfast to attend. An "Emergency Donut Vehicle," deployed by Hurts Donut out of Cedar Falls, was set up in the parking lot of the elementary side of the school, and a line of hungry parade-goers rivaling the teacher’s vehicles climbed down the block, made much lengthier by the social distancing practice of six-feet spaces.