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Germantown Elementary School staff took team building to another level before school started Monday.
Teachers and support staff split into six groups for a scavenger hunt organized by administrators to build relationships.
Reading specialist Amy Taylor and staff development coordinator Christie Cole came up with 11 stops, in and outside of the school, for the teachers to gather clues, such as Roberto Clemente Middle School, the Germantown Community Center and the homes of parents.
The Orange Team ran through the doors of the school Friday and into an awaiting silver minivan. The team raced the other teams to the next stop of the hunt.
"It was exciting," said JoEllen LaMonica-Hayes, a special education teacher who drove the minivan for the Orange Team. "It was a lot of fun."
LaMonica-Hayes and her teammates Ilona Desai, Emma Griffin, Debra Lea and Mada Gray darted to her silver Honda Odyssey. LaMonica-Hayes, a school community based teacher, stepped on the gas and headed to the home of Claudia Goldman. Along the way, LaMonica-Hayes's minivan was cut off by the white Toyota Camry carrying the Yellow Team. The Yellow Team won the scavenger hunt and bragging rights, collecting all 11 clues in less than an hour. The Orange Team finished last.
"I think the scavenger hunt served its purpose," said Gray, a first-grade teacher. "Even though we work together, we don't get that one on one time to get to know each other."
The five women spilled out of the minivan and into a home on Ponsford Place for a clue. Inside, Goldman and her son, Jason, a third-grader at the school, waited for the teachers. The teachers had to identify which of the "Seven Keys to College Readiness" MCPS students had to complete before leaving the fifth grade. The answer: Advanced reading in grades K-2.
"My son was really excited to have all of his teachers in the house," Goldman said. "I volunteered to help with the scavenger hunt because it sounded like fun."
Principal Amy Bryant told the teachers "it's very important for us to know where our children are coming from." Bryant, who is in her seventh year as principal, said "we need to know what their community looks like."
"Our goal this year is to build genuine relationships through interaction," Bryant said. "The scavenger hunt was fun, but it also helps our teachers get back into the swing of things."
