If you happened to be home or traveling throughout the City on Thursday, chances are that you saw the parade of cars with balloons, signs, and blaring horns.

According to the MLK Center, the Newport Police-led parade were teachers from Claiborne Pell Elementary School.

“We challenge you not to smile! Escorted by Newport RI Police DepartmentNewport Public Schools third grade Claiborne Pell Elementary School teachers paraded around the City today, spreading encouragement for home bound students (and for all of us!). We miss our kids so much,” the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center posted on their Facebook Page on Thursday afternoon.

Some of the signs that What’s Up Newp observed said “we miss you” and “you can do it”.

The last time students in Rhode Island were actually in school was Friday, March 13th. After taking their spring break early, students across the city and state have been distant learning since March 23rd.

Governor Raimondo has ordered distant learning to continue for students in grades K-12 until at the least the end of May.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...