COVINGTON, Ga. — Georgians continue to show support for families in their community with relatives in Ukraine who are in the midst of the Russian military attacks. Oak Hill Elementary School in Covington, Georgia showed Lana Gazhenko their support Wednesday morning.
Gazhenko aka Ms. Lana to her Oak Hill Elementary family is a custodian at the school who was surprised by both staff and students who showed support for her and her family members in Ukraine.
Students in grades K-5th created special drawings for Gazhenko showcasing sunflowers, the official Ukraine flower. Their drawings cover the hallway walls from top to bottom.
Teachers joined in by hanging up the Ukrainian Flag and writing 'We Love You Ms. Lana' in bold letters.
Towards the center of the school staff placed rainbow artwork with the words 'Hope For Ukraine' and 'We Love You Ms. Lana' underneath. A closer look at the rainbow reveals the names of Gazhenko family members written within the rays.
Gazhenko, who was been a part of the Oak Hill family since it first opened 21 years ago is grateful for the support.
"I really was speechless when I see, I just start crying because I see flag, my country, where I come from and I know still my family is there and the other people who aren't supposed to be suffering are suffering right now. I thank my Oak Hill family because they prayed for me," she said.
Jesse Daniels, a third-grade teacher at Oak Hill Elementary was the one to come up with the idea for the surprise after seeing a news article highlighting a similar event.
"I immediately texted my team and I was like, 'We have got to do this for Ms. Lana,'" she said.
The teachers quickly got together and within a day had planned out their surprise, some staying until 8:30 p.m. Monday to finish their art.
Jennifer McDonald, another third-grade teacher at Oak Hill Elementary has worked with Gazhenko for 10 years. She said they've always been behind her, celebrating with her when she became a U.S. Citizen.
"When she became a citizen, we rallied around her at that point," said McDonald. "We're there. We are an Oak Hill family and we've definitely have talked to her and she's got family there and they don't know what's happening. From one day to the next, they hear the bombing. So we wanted to make sure that she knew we support her."
Most of Ms. Lana's family is located near Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine while others live scattered throughout the country. She says all she can do is pray for their safety.
Through the school's efforts to show support towards their staff also came a way to teach empathy to the children.
"Students know Ms. Lana and they love Ms. Lana, whether they see her every day or not. Ms. Lana is a fixture here and they're kind of like the staff, they wanted to do things to show support. I think it was a wonderful experience talking about empathy and just what's going on and helping others," said McDonald.
The school continues to put art up and show its support towards their own and raise awareness over what's happening in Ukraine.
"You know, this is something special from my Oak Hill family. It's really special and I appreciate everyone," said Ms. Lana.