For a while, the worldwide pandemic halted much of our in-person connections with families. So we did it differently. We zoomed. We called. We drove to houses. We made videos. But there’s nothing like the joy of coming together as a learning community. On Wednesday evening, Rumford Elementary staff hosted a “Pre-Thanksgiving Day Parade,” complete with inflatables, decorations, give-aways, staff dressed as book characters, and even an optional visit with Santa. Local community groups such as the Rumford Public Library, Team Long Run, Western Foothills Kids Association and the Greater Rumford Community Center joined in on the fun. It takes a village! As families walked through the “parade,” the joy reflected in their faces filled everyone with a little sense of normalcy and a great sense of love and pride. Our school communities matter.