• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
  • Family

2nd grade teacher creates clever socially distant class photo

3:43
Texas school principal fills empty 'virtual' classrooms with giant student photos
Kat Laryssa
Genevieve Shaw-Brown
ByGenevieve Shaw Brown
November 16, 2020, 8:08 PM

School picture day is not necessarily known for being an enjoyable day, but it is a rite of passage each year nonetheless — except perhaps in 2020, where masks, social distancing and other pandemic guidelines seem to dominate the school year.

But instead of skipping the class photo altogether this year, one teacher got creative.

"I was pretty sad my class wouldn’t get their class photo taken," Kat Laryssa, a second grade teacher at Ruth Hooker School in Selkirk, a city in Manitoba, Canada, told "Good Morning America." "I keep it every year, and I’m sure my students do too," she said.

Related Articles

MORE:Here's what Santa visits may look like amid COVID-19

Her principal, she said, had sent along a similar idea to the photo Laryssa ended up taking. Each of the children sit inside a box, separated from one another but still in the same photo.

"So, I found a box and went with it," she said. "I think parents appreciate the creativity to give their kids a sense of fun and normalcy in these times."

The kids, she said, "ran with it" once they heard their teacher's vision.

Related Articles

MORE: World leader shares sweet message with boy who asked if Santa will come this year

"They had me draw the boxes out on chart paper and make stick men to show what positions/faces they would be doing," Laryssa told "GMA." "They really loved it, and when it all came together they just lit up. It’s now my desktop background at school, and they love seeing the photo regularly.

Up Next in Family—

Teacher adopts 11-year-old boy who was her former student

July 9, 2026

Doctors, experts urge caution as some moms say marijuana makes them better parents

July 9, 2026

Family goes viral with creative water hose art

July 8, 2026

NeeDohs are the new viral toy: What to know

July 7, 2026

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News