This year has been a train ride on rusty tracks with multiple dead ends, but one thing that has stayed steady is the community’s will to rebuild from the scraps around them.

While many holiday celebrations have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, Northampton Borough Elementary School remained festive by allowing students to dress up Oct. 29 and 30.

The school currently operates on a hybrid system that serves 860 students - 170 of the students are fully virtual while the other students take turns with in-person learning and at-home instruction. Since the students are all over a large district, the computer has become a shared hub of assignments and instruction, regardless of the student’s location.

Those present for in-person learning remain in one classroom for the entire day, except for lunch, and teachers who instruct related art activities, such as physical education and music, travel between classrooms to limit the amount of contact the students have with one another.

“My goal this year is to focus on the silver linings of the troublesome time our world is in,” Principal Renee Sallit said as she walked through the halls, visiting both in-person learning and virtual students in their costumes. “The students have truly been resilient. Their eyes show off their hidden smiles, and little muffled giggles sneak out beneath their masks. This was one of the first fun activities the students have been able to enjoy this year. Although it seems small, it speaks volumes to their little ears. Thank you to all of the staff for keeping energy high when circumstances are at their lowest - it shows!”