Northeast School shares 'warm and fuzzy' spirit

Northeast School fifth-graders in Erin Pelletier's class take a short rest after completing a fleece blanket to be donated to the Hockanum Valley Community Council, as part of the school's 'Warm and Fuzzy' Spirit Day on Jan. 24. Photos by Steve Smith.

As a part of Northeast School's 'Warm and Fuzzy' Spirit Day, students in third, fourth and fifth grades assembled fleece blankets to be donated to the Hockanum Valley Community Council on Jan. 24.

Teacher Jan Cribben, who said she makes similar crafts on her own, came up with the idea, and teachers purchased and donated the fabric. After some quick instructions on how to tie the top and bottom pieces of fleece together, the students quickly teamed up on the gymnasium floor and completed the seven blankets.

“I think we are going to make seven children happy,” Cribben told the students. “I think this adds a lot to our spirit day. ‘Warm and Fuzzy’ is not just about us. It's important that you take the warm and fuzzies that you have and share them with people in our town. I think if we do that, people will be a lot nicer to each other, and they'll be feeling better than they already did.”

The blankets were just part of the day's theme, as students also made extra efforts to make each other feel good. “We're trying to make people feel extra happy today,” said fifth grade class president Lorenzo Percy, “but we should do that every day, because it's really important to make people smile.”

Percy said the students also wrote compliments on small pieces of paper and gave them to other students. “They are for anyone you want to give a compliment to, and say, 'You're doing a good job,'” Percy said, adding that the class is also excited about giving blankets to people who need them.

“It's something nice to do, and it's good for the community,” he said.