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Union Elementary students make ornaments for troops
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.A Poland Union Elementary kindergarten student was all smiles after completing the first part of her mitten during the school's art project.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Union Elementary School students made three Christmas ornaments that were shipped overseas to U.S. troops. The ornaments were (from left) mittens, a snowman and a snowflake.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.A Union Elementary School kindergarten student painted his hand before pressing it onto the piece of construction paper to create his mitten.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Union Elementary volunteer art teacher Jodi Dinard helped a kindergarten student press her hand print onto her mitten during the school's art project.
By TIM CLEVELAND
For the past several years, students at Union Elementary School have created Christmas ornaments that have been shipped to U.S. Troops overseas. This year’s project was from Oct. 21-23 with the school’s approximately 420 students in grades kindergarten through four participating.
“We’ll be doing a variety of different projects,” said Jodi Dinard, who volunteers to teach art at Union since the school doesn’t have an art department. “Every month I’ll come in. This month we’re making three things and we’re sending them to troops overseas. We go together with Countryside Farm [Market in Lowellville] and they send a [Christmas] tree and we send the ornaments to soldiers overseas.
“That’s this month. We’ll be working toward an art show in February, so we’ll be doing different projects, painting and whatnot, to display at the art show.”
The art project consisted of two mittens made from construction paper and the child’s hand prints, with each tied together with a ribbon; a snowman made from popsicle sticks and buttons; and a snowflake made of puzzle pieces and glitter.
Dinard said that during October, Union students donated their pocket change for a fundraiser called Give it Back, in which the money raised was given to Countryside Farm to cover shipping costs for the trees and ornaments sent to the troops. She estimated it costs approximately $130 to ship one of the six-foot tall trees.
Dinard said she feels the project was a very important one for the children, as is art in general.
“I think art’s really important for kids, it’s freeing,” she said. “It lets them be as creative as they want to be. It gives them a sense of accomplishment, make sure they know what they’re making and what it’s going for. It can make them feel good that they’re making something to give to somebody else. I think that’s important, too.”