Class decides to grin and bear it

By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Sixteen-year-old Jenna Kalman pulls a fleece, tassled hat over her head.
"This is cute," says the Boardman teen, peeking from beneath the soft, pink fabric. "Who made it?"
A few minutes later, in another area of the Cardinal Mooney High School classroom, Brittany Jackson, 15, of Youngstown smiles and pokes at the lopsided head of a green fleece teddy bear wearing a plaid ribbon.
"It's the effort that counts," says Leah Nakley, 16, of Youngstown.
Bears of all colors with long arms and legs lie -- and sit -- on the tables of the Clothing Design II classroom. The high school juniors and seniors talk about their work to complete them.
The girls tell of how Danielle Miller, 16, of Youngstown bought a $200 sewing machine so she could make three of the bears at home -- two sport a sky pattern and another is white with red ears and paws and a red ribbon.
Others explain how it cost about $8 to make a bear. The black, childproof eyes cost only 69 cents for eight. Hats were less expensive because they take less fabric; some were made from scraps.
"I feel sweet that I could make this," Jenna said, bringing laughter from Leanne D'Apolito, 17, and Anna Novosel, 17, both of Boardman. "Who would have thought that you could make a bear?"
Background
This den of bears began about two weeks ago. As the high school quarter came to a close, the teens had a week of clothing design class left.
They thought they might just sit around and work on homework from other classes. But teacher Karen Kerrigan gave them another option: Why not take the time to craft something for others?
So the class decided to make bears and hats for the young patients at the Forum Health Tod Children's Hospital.
"I think it'll be a good thing because they'll need something to take their mind off being sick," Brittany said, "something to cuddle and make their day a little better."
The students will donate 18 bears and five hats to the hospital, Kerrigan said. Hospital policy will not allow them to deliver the items to the children themselves.
Kerrigan said this is the first time students created an item to donate. They worked after school and during other out-of-class times to finish the bears.
"They were very enthused," she said. "They worked hard. They shared their talent to do something for someone else, and they were very excited about that."
Leah laughs as she admits that she learned a lot about sewing while making the lopsided green bear and when she reattached a head that someone -- as a joke -- had sewn on another bear sideways.
She said she thinks the effort will help make some other kids laugh as well.
"The kids that are in the hospital, I think it will make them happy to know that other kids care about them and want to do something for them," Leah said. "It's just a little present to brighten their day."