It all began in an empty storeroom in our elementary building. The previous year, our live morning video announcements were a bit cumbersome. They were time consuming for teachers to facilitate, and not very…inspired. They were addressing the business of the school day; what’s for lunch, Pledge to the Flag…and maybe a few jokes. Because they were live, the only way they could be put together, was…hastily.

So, with a few puppets we had laying around, we decided to prerecord the announcements with a few characters who might be more engaging for the kids to see every day. With a green screen background that could put our characters anywhere, the new Morning Announcements were launched. The effect was immediate. The youngest students felt like the puppets were members of our school community, and the older kids thought they were hilarious. Our mission to make the morning announcements more engaging, was accomplished.

Then, the morning announcements seemed to take on a life of its own. Kids started sending in letters, props for the puppets to wear on screen, friendship bracelets and candy. Teachers reported that, when the puppets gave a student a shout out for being kind, hardworking, responsible…the kids became emotional. And since these were recorded announcements, parents could see them too. It became a big deal to be mentioned on air during Morning Announcements.

We could not ignore how powerful the relationship between the puppets and the students became. We knew there was a purposeful way to reach more kids with this power. And that is how The Sunnyside Roadshow was born. By placing a focus on the students’ understanding of themselves, the Morning Announcements became even more purposeful than before. We added characters, music, a car….even a few humans, to make this as real as possible.

It has been a wonderful journey to watch this evolve into what it is today. We hope that you invite the power of these characters into your classroom, and into the hearts of your students.