Another year, another field trip to Holmes Stamp & Sign for the first graders of Jacksonville Beach Elementary! We know the old saying that time flies, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been a whole year since our factory was last overrun with first graders. When the kids go back to school every fall, we all know what’s coming – or should we say who is coming.
Just like clockwork, around September Jacksonville Beach Elementary gets in contact with us. We work our schedules around and make sure we are able to fit in some time to give back to our awesome community as well as educate some youngsters while we’re at it. Summer vacation is always so much fun for kids, so when the new school year starts, things can get pretty monotonous very fast. By the end of August, the morning classroom routines have nearly all been set and established and the normal hum-drum of everyday life is settling in. It’s times like these where a little excitement never hurt anyone – and that goes for us too!
Prior to the kids arrival, we make it a point to thoroughly clean up our areas! Surfaces are scrubbed down, potentially dangerous materials and chemicals are shelved and kept out of reach. All little pieces of plastic and trash are quickly and efficiently deposited in the trash cans. When the moment of truth arrived, one by one the first graders all piled on their school buses and prepared themselves for a fun filled day of stamp, sign, name tag, button production and manufacturing.
Early Tuesday morning, the bright yellow school buses pulled in single file into our parking lot. The students were welcomed into our showroom and greeted by the Holmes Stamp & Sign CEO Bryan Croft himself. They were given a quick rundown of what it is exactly that we do here, and what kinds of fun they could expect throughout the day. Once the kids had the general idea, they were taken to the old machine used way back in the day for clocking in, and were then separated into smaller groups. The kids were taken around to the different stations we had set up for them in advance. By the end of the day, they had their little grab bags full of goodies. From all six stations we set up for the kids to visit and learn from, they received something special to take home with them. Each student had made their own custom stamps, buttons, stickers, and even received a handful of tootsie rolls – the first graders had their hands full for sure!
While we admit, we may not get much work done on these field trip days, not only did they give the students a welcome break from everyday routine, but us too! On a normal day here at Holmes Stamp & Sign, we’re busy little bees buzzing from area to area, working hard to process and produce thousands of orders a day – so the kids aren’t the only ones who could use a break from time to time. Once a year, we welcome this day of distraction because it gives us an opportunity to give back to our community and help give our teachers a break for a day as well. So what do we do now that they’re gone? We get back to being the well oiled manufacturing machine that our customers have come to know and love over the course of the past sixty years!
So long Jax Beach Elementary! We’re already counting down the days until your visit next year!