Kindergarten teacher engages in class in South Carolina

May 27 was anything but a normal school day for a South Carolina kindergarten class, but for their teacher, it was the day she had dreamed of since she was a child.

The teacher, Jerricka Scott, got engaged in front of family, friends and the entire kindergarten class in a surprise ceremony in the school gymnasium on May 27.

“Today at Hodges Elementary School’s Friday Celebration, students and staff celebrated as they witnessed kindergarten teacher Jerricka Scott say ‘YES’ to her fiancé’s proposal,” the district wrote. Greensboro School 50 in a Facebook post. “Ms. Scott was totally surprised, as were all of the students who rejoiced at this celebratory moment for her.

Scott is listed as “Teacher of the Year” on the Hodges Elementary School website. Hodges is about 86 miles northwest of Columbia.

Scott’s fiance, Jahmar Tate, told WHNS he wanted to propose in front of his class because the students are his family.

“It’s important to me to make sure she knows we’re a family together,” he told the outlet. “It’s you and me but they’re part of your family, they’re part of mine too.”

Tate is a counselor at Eastside High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

The marriage proposal video shows people holding a banner that reads “Will you marry me?” and balloons as a visibly emotional Scott runs across the gym to hug Tate.

Tate and Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News on Monday.

Scott told the Index-Journal that she had wanted to marry Tate ever since she met him.

“When he came into my life, it was unexpected, but I knew straight away he was my person,” she told the outlet. “I’m so looking forward to every day from now on.”

The couple had been dating since July 2018, according to WHNS.

This story was originally published May 30, 2022 4:56 p.m.