Hero Dads turn school carpool line into a morning celebration
By La’Tasha Givens
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DUNWOODY, Georgia (WUPA) — For many students, the morning routine can become mundane. But a group of fathers known as the Hero Dads at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School welcome students with music, hugs, and high-fives, getting them excited about the day ahead.
Dressed in costumes and armed with portable speakers, these fathers have taken over the carpool lane to ensure students, parents, and teachers start their day with a smile.
They started 15 years ago with the goal of giving hardworking teachers the morning off and breaking up the monotony of the school week.
“The teachers do a lot of hard work; they get here early in the morning,” said Adewale Odetunde, a Hero Dad known to the students as “Dynomo the Dolphin.” “We try to make carpool a little bit fun for them, for the kids, and the parents.”
“It brings up the energy for the kids as they’re coming into school,” Odetunde said. “They jumped out the car and gave me a high five… they were very excited to see us this morning.”
Over the past 15 years, Hero Dad Elston Nesbitt has seen four of his own children pass through Dunwoody Springs Elementary.
“It’s absolutely great because my kids get to participate in that same thing too,” Nesbitt shared. “My kids get to see that other dads care about kids as much as I do.”
The Hero Dads have become such a staple of the school culture that students now frequently request their presence at other school events to “get the party started.”
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