OVU Finals Week Parade

On Saturday, May 2, OVU faculty, staff and their families lined up to surprise the students with a new tradition, a finals week parade. Handing out everything from the expected candy to homemade pepperoni rolls to Ziploc bags filled with Gatorade and goodies galore, the students were more than appreciative. Chalk drawn marks were placed six feet apart for the students to enjoy the parade and still maintain social distancing. The 18 car line up, including a motorcycle, were decorated with balloons, streamers, and messages of encouragement written on the windows and on poster boards. There are currently 27 students still staying on the South Campus of the 120 acre property located in Vienna. Most are international students from various countries including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Kenya, Serbia, Chile, Costa Rica and Senegal. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, these students are unable to travel home, so OVU has in many ways been their home away from home. The parade of friendly OVU staff and faculty, including the Chancellor Keith Stotts, hoped to encourage the students to stay strong during this strange time and of course, their finals week.

Sophomore Shaylynn Massey appreciated the efforts saying, “I think the parade was a fun and much needed burst of excitement as we are preparing for finals and starting to get antsy from being stuck inside during quarantine. It was refreshing to see faces that haven’t been around for a while and visit with other students who are still here. On behalf of all the other students and myself, we thank the staff and faculty that participated and Sally Massey for working to arrange it