PENDLETON — It was a sight to behold, a field of green and white signs, each representing a Pendleton Heights High School Class of 2020 member.
“It was really cool seeing everyone’s names on signs in one yard,” said senior Kate King, describing the view outside of Pendleton home-based business Kreative Marketing recently.
With classes and sports canceled for the rest of the school year, and prom and commencement plans up in the air, hundreds of parents latched onto an idea to help their children celebrate the end of high school, which this year has been upended by COVID-19.
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Responding to a Facebook post by a parent, they ordered custom signs featuring their children’s names for outdoor display.
“I figured I’d get 20 parents or so,” said Pam Blackwell — mother of senior Jenna Blackwell — who posted the idea to the Pendleton Heights Class of 2020 Facebook page.
Before she knew it, there were 120 initial orders, with more coming in later waves.
Tracy Gillespie ordered a sign for her daughter, Delaney.
“I thought it was a good way to celebrate our seniors,” Tracy Gillespie said. “It brought some joy to her face, which was nice to see, with everything going on in the world today.”
“She’s been pretty bummed about not getting the last nine weeks of her senior year.”
Delaney said at first she was “really upset” with schools being closed but knows it’s best for everyone’s safety.
As time goes on, “everybody’s just becoming more understanding of it,” she said.
When her mom surprised her with the sign, it did lift her spirits.
“I was just really excited. It was really nice just to feel a sense of recognition for my senior year. It made me very happy.
“My mom took a picture and posted it on Facebook and got a lot of responses,” Delaney said. “A lot of people were just commenting that they loved that people were doing this … making the signs, and that seniors could be recognized through them.”
Jason Kistler, who co-owns Kreative Marketing with wife Krista, said he’s made about 200 of the 24-by-18-inch corrugated plastic signs for this year’s Pendleton Heights seniors.
“I’ve been doing this for a very long time and I’ve never seen anything like,” he said.
He said as his typical contractor business has dried up because of coronavirus, the senior sign phenomenon — which grew to include orders from other schools of Indiana and one from California — materialized, along with a demand for signs celebrating health care workers and grocery store employees.
With signs for seniors, he said, parent are trying to “figure out what the next best thing is” to help mark the milestone moments anticipated in the next couple of months of their children’s lives.
Also, “I think it also speaks to their desperation — they’re just looking for something that they can do in a limited time,” he said.
Blackwell said because the signs could be ordered, produced and picked up without personal contact, it was something fun that could be done that fits with COVID-19 protocols.
“Thanks to technology, we’re following all the rules of social distancing, and due to his location, we’re all able to pick up the signs during one of our trips for essential travel,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “It’s a win-win!”
As of Monday, all but about 15 student signs had been picked up, Kistler said.
Kate King’s mom, Jill Earley, who described herself as “the type of person who always tries to look on the bright side,” said she she and husband Brian felt sorry for their two Pendleton Heights seniors, including Kamden Earley.
“We just had a lot of disappointment for our kids, and I wanted to do something special for them,” Jill Earley said.
Kamden is a three-sport student athlete who didn’t get to play his senior year of baseball, and Kate has been planning for prom with her friends since before Christmas break, Jill Earley said.
At the moment, with the unknowns presented by the pandemic, they have nothing else planned.
“We kind of have everything on hold,” she said, noting that the family will arrange open houses when the time is right.
Kate said amid the disappointments of canceled celebrations — even knowing open houses are planned eventually and a small group of friends is discussing a “little prom later on in the summer “ — the yard signs with their names and class year on them are significant.
“I feel like the signs definitely helped us, the parents showing their support that they feel for us.”
