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Bay City, MI (WNEM) — When Bay City Western Senior Rachel Gonsler learned that all of Michigan’s schools would be closing or the rest of the academic year due to coronavirus, she said she became inspired to do something about it by her mother.
“I said ‘Well, maybe we can decorate our yard and we live right across the street from her school,” said Cindy Gonsler, her mother.
So, together they put up signs and decorations in the front of their house to show their pride for Gonsler’s graduation.
They never imagined the public would respond in such a big way.
“There were a lot of people yesterday that commented on it, and a lot of people got inspired to decorate their own yards,” said Rachel Gonsler.
That includes another family from Bay City with a daughter who was also graduating this year.
“Everything that she’s worked so hard for within the past twelve years, I wanted her to be recognized,” said Michelle Rivera, another mother of a senior.
Rivera said she was so proud of her daughter Alexis on graduating, but was heartbroken to hear about the school’s closing.
That’s why she came up with the idea to not only decorate her own yard, but also create a Facebook page where parents could show their own signs of pride for their child’s graduation.
“We want to see something good, something positive, and share in the happy moments,” said Rivera.
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