Local balloon decor company delivers free balloon garlands to Round Rock graduates

In a world of heightened restrictions and social distancing, local balloon decor company Pop & Drop sympathized with students in the class of 2020 who were navigating the premature end of their senior year while celebrating the enormous milestone of graduating high school. In an effort to aid in the celebration, Pop & Drop created and delivered 15 balloon garlands to local students, at no cost to the students or their families. 

Pop & Drop owner Kelsey Butler Harrison used the Nextdoor app to connect with local parents of high school seniors in her area. 

“I remember my senior year of high school, and how special every day was leading up to graduation,” Harrison said. “I can’t imagine losing out on those moments without any notice, and I knew I needed to do something special for as many graduating seniors as I could to help lift some spirits. And since I knew I didn’t have any personal connections with high school seniors, using the Nextdoor app was the perfect solution to meet people.”

Within 24 hours of publishing a general post on Nextdoor, Harrison had 15 responses from parents wanting to celebrate their children. 

Students graduating as part of Round Rock ISD’s class of 2020 could not have anticipated how untraditional their graduation ceremony would be; one with tighter restrictions, and revised traditions. On May 8th, 2020, Round Rock ISD announced on social media the details of a new type of graduation. Class valedictorian speeches were pre-recorded and streamed online, and students from each high school were encouraged to walk the stage with up to four family members celebrating their achievement. 

While some alumni are uncertain about their future, they are still trying to find ways to grieve missing out on major milestones such as prom, and simply celebrating their final year of high school with their friends. 

Stony Point High School graduate Alexa Gamble, credits fond memories of her time in theatre for sustaining her through her tough final semester of high school.

“My favorite memory of senior year would have to be when my peers and I finished a theatre show and we screamed in celebration when the curtains went down,” Alexa Gamble said. “That feeling is something I’ll never be able to describe to other people. But, that feeling has helped me through so many tough times.”

Gamble’s grandmother and mother, Cynthia Galvin and Toni Gamble, connected with Pop & Drop owner Kelsey Harrison on the Nextdoor app to arrange a balloon garland delivery for Alexa. 

“As a parent it was hard seeing my daughter not have a proper graduation or be able to finish the last month of high school,” Gamble said. “But, as always, she stuck to it like a champ and I couldn’t be more proud of her. The balloons are her school colors so when she got it that day, it wrapped all of the school spirit together.”

Also a theatre enthusiast like Alexa Gamble, Mary Sweet, a class of 2020 alumna of Cedar Ridge High School, recalls a specific experience leaving a lasting impression on her.

“My fondest memory of senior year was right before our last musical performance, when we had “senior circle”, which is where all seniors are recognized by the theatre teachers,” Mary Sweet said. “The musical ended during the first weekend in February, so this was the last big thing we did before school was cancelled due to the pandemic.”

Mary’s mother, Dawn Sweet, also connected with Harrison on the Nextdoor app when Harrison posted about giving away balloon garlands to deserving seniors. 

Dawn went on to say the balloon garland received by Pop & Drop helped her daughter celebrate her graduation. 

“It was a very generous blessing to be chosen to receive the balloon garland from your company. It added a wonderful backdrop for graduation pictures and was a great surprise for Mary. It was displayed at her graduation party and then reused for decoration on her car for the senior graduation car parade. It was such a thoughtful gesture to think of the seniors and to want to make their graduation a special time.”