Ever since she was a little girl, Mercy Maranges has loved all things Disney.
She took her first trip to Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida back in 1971. She’s been back multiple times since then, but no visit will ever compare to her most recent pilgrimage!
It happened just weeks after Mercy retired from a 42-year-long teaching career.
Mercy spent the past 33 years working as a pre-K teacher at Saints Peter and Paul, in Miami, Florida. Over the years, she’s touched the lives of thousands of students and their families, and she is a beloved figure in the community. After retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Mercy’s daughter, who is also named Mercy, secretly worked with students and parents to organize a surprise for their teacher.
On April 2nd, Mercy and her family went to Magic Kingdom to celebrate her retirement. As she stood in front of Cinderella’s Castle, her daughter told her to pose for a Disney photography contest. But as the teacher stood smiling in front of the castle, more than 75 kids and parents quietly moved in behind her.
Now that’s what we call an epic photobomb!
Mercy was shocked to look around and see a sea of familiar faces surrounding her. All of the students and parents wore the same custom tee shirts to celebrate Mercy’s retirement. The teacher could barely contain her tears of joy as she realized the lengths these friends had come to show her that they care.
After the excitement died down, all of the students joined the Maranges family for the rest of their time in the park. Mercy says she feels incredibly blessed to have such wonderful people in her life.
“It meant the world to me,” Mercy said. “There’s two loves that I have, Disney and teaching, and to see all of my parents there, all of my students there, it meant the world to me. It was truly a magical, magical experience.”
This is such a beautiful and personal way to honor a teacher! Teachers give so much to our society, so it’s lovely to see them treated with such respect and love.
Watch Mercy’s daughter’s video of the big surprise below, and be sure to share.
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