During fourth block on Thursday, junior Tanner McQuaig got a special surprise.

McQuaig’s father, who had been stationed in Africa for six months, set up a plan with teacher Dawn Bankston to surprise Tanner.  

“We arranged for Tanner to be delayed by Col. (Michael) Dillard and the parents to be brought to F7 where they would wait until I introduced a guest speaker. We then called for Tanner to be released and the rest is history,” Bankston said.

McQuaig’s reaction to his dad’s arrival was like one out of a movie.

When McQuaig’s dad walked in, he screamed out, “Dad!” and ran up to hug him. They stood embracing each other for a long time while the rest of the class stared in awe.

It was an emotional experience for everyone in Bankston’s Sports Medicine 1 class.

Tanner, his father and mother all had tears of joy in their eyes, but they weren’t the only ones

“I felt super happy for him,” said sophomore Madisyn Monarch, who was in Bankston’s class. “He looked so happy. It honestly made me start to cry.

“… I cried because I could tell that Tanner was so happy to see his dad and his dad looked so happy, too.”

After Tanner’s dad surprised him during his class in sports medicine, they then went to surprise his younger brother Carson, who was in choir. A similar reaction played out with the family and the students in the class.