Teacher Gets Engaged to Boyfriend During School Assembly as Hundreds of Kids Cheer in Excitement

What began as a routine school assembly turned into a moment to remember for one Pennsylvania teacher.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, staff and 650 students at Ore Valley Elementary School in York, Pa., gathered for a program celebrating the school’s “CARES” initiative, according to NBC affiliate WGAL 8. The program encourages students to be compassionate, accountable, respectful, ethical, and service-minded to help create an inclusive and supportive school community.

During the event, students were recognized for their positive actions around the school and invited onstage to receive CARE tickets. But the assembly ended with a twist no one expected.

When the final name appeared on the screen from teacher Abigail Herbert’s third-grade class, it wasn’t one of her students — it was her boyfriend, Braydon Clancy.

Clancy emerged from behind the stage carrying a bouquet of flowers as the auditorium filled with excited chatter. The students quickly realized what was happening, erupting into screams as he approached a stunned Herbert.

After handing her the bouquet, Clancy reached into his pocket, dropped to one knee, and proposed. Herbert, visibly emotional, covered her mouth in surprise before saying “yes,” drawing cheers from the entire audience. Clancy then placed the ring on her finger as the couple shared a hug and a kiss.

According to WGAL 8, Clancy had coordinated the surprise with Herbert’s colleagues, who helped him plan the perfect moment so her students could share in the joyful experience.

In a similar heartwarming story last month, students and staff at a Buffalo, N.Y., school came together to organize a surprise wedding for their principal. On Oct. 3, Brianna Lanoye, principal of the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, thought she was attending a regular event — until her colleague, assistant principal Courtney Champlin, led her outside to a courtyard transformed into a wedding venue.

Lanoye, wearing a veil and holding a bouquet of white flowers, walked out to find her entire school community gathered to watch her exchange vows with her fiancé, Zach.

“Instant tears,” Lanoye told ABC affiliate WKBW. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, just seeing our school community out here.”