A typical end of the school year comes with many celebrations that have unfortunately not been able to take place this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Lehighton teachers took one of those events on the road Monday, hosting a collection for an area pet shelter that doubled as a chance to see some of their students in person one last time.

“Last year, we had a bowling party for students because myself and fellow teacher Wendy Bussey Williams have birthdays in May,” said first-grade teacher Rhonda Zerbe. “We also used that event to have a donation event that benefits local shelters.”

Unable to have the bowling party this year, Zerbe contacted her neighbor, Audra Doll, to see if she could use Doll’s Tribe Pride Barbershop as a drop-off location for pet items. The teachers also had treat bags to hand to students as they arrived.

“It’s so great to see a few of them that came here today,” Bussey Williams said. “It’s been a challenging year, so to see their faces was very nice. And the kids really like it too.”

The pet items collected Monday will go to the Pawsitively Purrfect Rescue in Nesquehoning.

“It’s an in-home shelter and I follow their social media page, so I asked them if they were accepting donations,” Zerbe said. “Whenever they had fundraisers in the past, I’ve tried to take part in that, so we thought they would be a good beneficiary this year.”

The duo said they hope to take the event back to a more traditional setting next year.