CARENCRO, Louisiana — Girls and boys at one school in Louisiana were so good that Mrs. Claus visited early, showering the basketball court with treats dropped from a helicopter.
Teachers at Carencro Catholic School kept masked students in tacky sweaters and flannel pajamas at a safe distance until all of the candy, toys, beads and reindeer headbands had landed, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported.
Then students rushed for goodies donated by a school sponsor and tossed from a chopper piloted by a student’s father.
Principal Devin Soeseno, who played Mrs. Claus, had promised a helicopter drop last spring if students earned 5,000 reward tickets for good behavior.
“They get tickets for being kind, for going out of their way to do something nice without being asked, for following the rules without being told,” director of advancement Morgen Landry said.
Helicopter pilot James Landry is father of an eighth-grader at the school.
The total was past 3,600 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools in March. When Carencro Catholic reopened in August, Soesno went on from there. The total hit 5,000 in time a drop just before the Christmas break, she said.
“I’m so proud of you,” she told students. “You worked so hard. You earned it.”