Last week, our staff enjoyed a taco-fest on Cinco de Mayo. The WMS “cheerleaders” organized the meal, providing some of the fillings and asking the staff to contribute the fixings. In theory, no one knows who the cheerleaders are; we have our suspicions, but they work under a cloak of anonymity. Their sole purpose is to provide a few surprises of appreciation throughout the school year. In this case, you can’t imagine how much a taco lunch meant to the WMS staff.

One of the features of the lunch was a game of Heads Up. Many of us had never played the game before, but it was quickly downloaded onto a phone and every single person participated. It was several minutes of silliness. The purpose of this was not to play the game nor to eat the tacos, although those two things were certainly a benefit. The purpose was to interact and connect with each other as the people we are, not as our “roles” – teachers of young children or the person paying the bills or maintaining the facility – but who we are as individuals. It was a great deal of fun and I’m quite sure laughter was heard coming from the staff lounge as people walked down the hallway.

Just as children love to laugh, play and step outside of their daily routines, so do adults. Keeping that spirit alive is the role of the WMS cheerleaders. As they offer interludes of appreciation, we are all reminded that we are more than our jobs. We are people who have interests beyond what we do for a living. We long for connection just as our students do. Spending a short lunch break playing a silly game allowed us to connect and appreciate one another. It gave us the chance to refresh and return to our respective roles energized. Thanks to the our cheerleaders for helping us connect with one another and enjoy a delicious lunch.