"Woo-hoo," exclaimed Davenport, a teacher at North Forest Pines Elementary School.

"This is our senior skip day," added Hayworth.

As a big thank you to teachers at the school, the PTA arranged for parents to chaperone students for about an hour while teachers got the rare opportunity to have lunch off-campus.

The treat was part of the national Teacher Appreciation Week. Schools across the country showered teachers with special gifts from catered lunches to hand-written notes from students.

Mattye Whyte Woodbridge, an Arkansas teacher, pushed the idea with education leaders and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and a national Teacher Appreciation Day was established in 1953. Originally, the day was celebrated in March. But later, the National PTA established National Teacher Appreciation Week and started the celebration in May. The first Tuesday in May is now recognized as National Teacher Appreciation Day.

There are more than 3 million teachers nationwide, according to the National Education Association.

"Everyone loves to have a little something done for them to say that all you've done has not gone unnoticed," said Jennifer Lanane, president of the Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators.

With keys in hand, Davenport and Hayworth joined their colleagues at nearby Milton's Pizza & Pasta. The restaurant opened 30 minutes earlier for the teachers.

"The schools are so supportive of us and we wanted to thank them, too," said Julia Martin, a manager at Milton's.

Over salad and pizza, teachers munched and chatted about summer plans and what one another did over the track-out break.

North Forest Pines principal Chris McCabe said he didn't hesitate to approve the request from the PTA to allow teachers to leave campus. He said it was a well deserved reward.

And, of course, the teachers agreed.

"It makes you feel a little more professional," said fourth-grade teacher Frank Bogden as he headed for seconds at the salad bar.

Bogden, a veteran teacher, had to think long and hard about whether he had ever been allowed to leave for lunch in his 13-year teaching career. He could only recall a few times. But he remembered vividly having to cram down his lunch many times while walking down the hall.

The coveted lunch hour is something most professionals take for granted. Many are allowed to hop in their cars for quick errands or to grab a bite at nearby delis or restaurants.

According to a 2007 survey by Mintel, a Chicago research firm, 46 percent of workers run errands during lunch.

But leaving the school building for errands or lunch is not common for teachers.

While many have a duty-free lunch thanks to a 2006 bill that calls on school districts to provide teachers with some free time for lunch and planning, most still have to remain on campus.

Teachers say that by the time they escort their students to the cafeteria and get them settled and make it to the teacher's lounge, they have little time for lunch.

Not so this day. For most of the hour, the teachers savored their time away from campus as much as they did their pepperoni pizza.

"It's so nice to be able to sit down and enjoy each other," said first grade teacher Katie Collins.

News researcher Becky Ogburn contributed to this report.