A Big St Valentine Thank You!

To the Editor:

Friday, January 25, marked the third year that students at Sandy Hook Elementary School mailed cards and letters to our military men and women serving overseas for St Valentine’s Day.

Many thanks go to Vice Principal Barbara Gasparine for her dedication and service to our troops and students. She coordinated with teachers from the six kindergarten classes who made 120 beautiful cards; 19 classes from second to fourth grade wrote over 425 letters to members of our Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and England! A bundle of cards from our kindergarten were sent to servicemen at Walter Reed Hospital.

We were fortunate to have compiled a list of our military’s names, addresses, and a bit of personal interests. Many students chose their own service member to write to based upon compatibility of interests. This made for even more personal letter writing and an interesting letter!

Our students learned how to say “Thank you” to others for their sacrifices. It gave them an opportunity to express concern for others as well as their patriotism.

We must also acknowledge the many volunteers who helped proofread the letters and stuff the envelopes. The help and dedication of these residents not only allowed the project run smoothly, but we had a bit of fun sharing the letters that we read to each other. These volunteers are: Amy McCarthy, Eliza Hoffman, Christine Tyrell, Karen Grosso, Kristin Larson, Miriam Wetchler, Michelle Brissette, Laurie Borst, Po Murray, and others.

We are obliged to the PTA. They donated Sandy Hook School T-shirts that were sent to four Newtown residents serving abroad.

The Newtown Post Office also contributed to our project’s success and a bit of fun as well. Our Postmaster Mark Hanson and Assistant Postmaster Rich came to the school with a truck so that the children could bring out the mail personally.

Most of all, we must thank our military men and women for their service to our country. We pray for their health, safety, and their return home. We hope that with our cards and letters that we will help put a smile on their face. We wish all of them a very Happy St Valentine’s Day!

Donna Monteleone Randle

Event Coordinator and PTA Member

4 Erin Lane, Sandy Hook                                           February 6, 2008