Story and photos by Abbey Hugo
LINCOLN (SNR) - To celebrate the end of the school year, North American Martyrs School in Lincoln hosted drive-in movie nights for parish families May 16-20, what would have been the last couple days of school.
Diocesan schools in the city of Lincoln ceased in-person instruction March 13, continuing the year in a “distance learning” model. At North American Martyrs, that meant more than 500 students in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, were finishing the school year from home.
“With COVID-19, there were so many things that weren’t happening,” Sister Janelle Buettner, Martyrs’ principal, said. “The kids and the families have worked so hard throughout their time the fourth quarter that we really wanted the last week of school to be a celebration.”
The teachers met over Zoom to brainstorm fun and safe things to do. After learning former PTO members Greg and Kristen Bousquet had access to a large outdoor projection screen, the group agreed a drive-in would be a great event. So, the PTO board, including upcoming PTO presidents Lee and Melissa Peters, hopped on board to help organize.
“I think it’s something just safe and fun, and kids are looking for something to do, and families are looking for something to do,” Melissa Peters said. “Normally the end of the year has all sorts of fun stuff, and that’s all been taken away, so we tried to come up with something different.”
Peters said it got better and better each night, and eventually they had a full house. Each night was capped at 40 parking spots, with families signing up in advance, to ensure safe social distancing. The large screen was set up in the school’s parking lot, and audio was streamed through the car radios. 
“So many people made comments about ‘Thank you for providing a way for us to get out safely,’” she said. “Everybody’s so nervous about what’s going to happen with coronavirus, ... and everyone’s so fearful about leaving their house. With a drive-in theater, they stayed in their car, and they didn’t have to leave.
“I just think it was something that stayed within those boundaries of what we needed for coronavirus, but offered them an opportunity to see people,” she concluded.
Martyrs showed two Christian films based on real-life events, “Breakthrough” and “Miracles from Heaven,” on alternating nights. These two movies were selected because they were both uplifting and family-friendly.
The school hoped a movie night would particularly appeal to older kids, who Buettner felt especially bad for as they missed out on many of their usual pre-graduation rituals.
“I feel sad for the eighth graders who have been in our school since preschool. You know, they feel almost slighted,” Buettner said. “There are lots of fun traditions that they have looked forward to since they were in... (the) second or third grade, when they became aware of them. So you kind of look at that and you want to provide for them, and so you just are constantly trying to find creative ways to do that.”
The drive-in was just one of many ways the school celebrated the end of the year. The school also produced a music video, shared at-home field day activities and even held a parade where families competed to see who could best decorate their vehicles. Buettner intended for these ventures to recognize all that the students and families accomplished and learned through completing the last quarter of school online.
“What everybody did accomplish during these times was really quite amazing — so really focusing on how much hard work and dedication was put in ... and trying to find those positive points,” Buettner said. “Some times were harder than others, but we kept the spirit alive. It reminded us that we are not in charge. God is in charge, and with God, we triumph in everything, even the coronavirus, and so I think that’s really where our focus needed to be and stay.”
Even after social distancing guidelines are lifted, Martyrs plans to make the drive-in an annual event.
