Encouraging messages have been spread all across the Pembina Valley as people continue searching for ways to connect.

Tasha Roberts, a grade five teacher at Emerado Centennial School in Winkler decided to give the idea a new twist by writing letters to students on their driveways.

"On Good Friday I thought it would be fun to do something special for my class so I drove to all the kids' houses... It was fun leaving a special message for them to find."

She says we’re in a very unusual time, and this felt like a good way to brighten her student’s day while still practicing social distancing.

"The parent support was great, they were very appreciative. Some got to wave from the windows and there were a couple of houses that didn’t have any driveway to write on so we had to look through and just say hello. It was great."

Roberts notes that students and teachers can still stay in contact through messaging and video calling, but she still misses the in-person communication a classroom provides.