In the summer of 2014, two Nautilus K-8 teachers, Dan Haegele and Candace Ray, did home visits to their incoming sixth graders. They found the experiencing so rewarding that this year they invited other teachers in the K-8 school to join them.

On Aug. 25, a total of 17 Nautilus staff members drove throughout the school’s service area to welcome students to the new school year, bringing Nautilus pencils and welcome bags to their front doors.

The school sent an automated call to families ahead of time to let them know staff would be stopping by and that, if no one was home, they would leave a bag on their doorstep.

The teachers enjoyed doing the home visits; at some houses, they heard excited squeals from the other side of the door when they knocked. Second grade teacher Alyssa Johnson said seeing the faces of her students light up when she said she was there to see them made all the unanswered knocks worth it.

“It made my heart feel good,” Principal Stacy Lucas said. “We met some parents we hadn’t met before. We saw baby brothers and older siblings. We all met for lunch by the mall and compared notes and then went out again. The teachers worked a long day … and they all really loved it.”