Submitted by Gary Miller
Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, the spirit of fathers at Linden’s School No. 2 could not be dampened.
The school held its second annual “Walk and Talk With Dad” event on the rainy morning of September 25, 2018 drawing more than 300 fathers. The dads accompanied their children to school, played games and took photos with them, shared breakfast, then walked them to their classrooms.
The event had a superhero theme, and many of the fathers and children wore T-shirts or costumes of their favorite superhero.
Principal Atiya Perkins said she organized the event to honor her father, who raised her and her siblings after her mother died.
“He instilled in us that no matter what, you have to keep pushing forward,” she told the fathers in attendance. “So I do this to honor his memory, but more importantly, to allow each and every one of you to take away something from today.”
The program was originally scheduled for September 18, which was national “Dads Take Your Child to School Day.” It was postponed from that day because of heavy rain. On the makeup day, it also rained heavily, but many dads still walked their children to school under umbrellas.
After the children went to class, the dads heard speeches from Linden Mayor Derek Armstead and keynote speaker Bill Davis. Davis provides training and technical assistance to schools involved in the state’s Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) project, a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Education and Rutgers University.
“I want to make a distinction: A male makes a child; a man takes care of a child,” said Davis, a single father of three. “So if we’re really going to be men, our responsibility is to take care of our children. They need you. You are their superhero!”
(above) More than 300 fathers participated in the superhero themed “Walk and Talk with Dad” event.
Photos by Linden Public Schools
