To brighten up the winter for the staff of the Pelham schools, the PTA Council teamed up with Pelham Together to create the Letters of Gratitude campaign. The 750 student-created cards were sent last week to remind staff how grateful the students are for all of the hard work and to unify the community around a message of thankfulness.

Enough cards were produced for every teacher, monitor, custodian, administrator and crossing guard to receive one.

With the start of this school year being so abnormal, everyone has had to make changes, big and small. The teachers and staff at the Pelham schools know this better than anyone. From teaching regular classes just last year to this year having to manage half the kids in the class, while trying to keep the attention of the other half at home, teachers had to quickly adjust in order to meet the needs of all their students. 

“Being a part of this campaign meant being able to recognize our teachers’ and staff’s efforts, as they are being asked for so much this year,” said Emma Colkin, president of the Pelham Together Club and senior at the high school. 

The card-makers ranged from Kindergarteners to seniors at Pelham Memorial High School.

“Our goal was to show our appreciation to our school district for their hard work and dedication during these tough times,” said Danielle Marrero, youth advocate for Pelham Together.

Within a week, approximately 750 cards were made and dropped off at locations around town, where they were counted and sorted by school and then delivered on Nov. 23.

“It was really special for us to be able to do something in return to show our gratitude,” said Kaitlin Sheehy, a sophomore.

“I liked making the cards because it shows our teachers how much we love them,” said Gabriella Bartoloni, a second grader at Hutchinson. “I loved coloring the cards, and they made our teachers feel special,” added sister, Julianna, who is in kindergarten.