BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Melanie Allec, 7, writes the weight of her group's care package on the board in Robin Kato, center, and Tara Hornemann's first/second-grade classroom at Seeliger Elementary School on Friday. Derek Barry, 7, right, carries the box that's ready to ship. The class is sending care packages to troops in Iraq. Kato's brother Marine Lance Cpl. Bradford H. Kato, pictured in photo to left, was deployed to Iraq in September.
Friday's lesson plan for a group of Seeliger Elementary first- and second-grade students included reading, writing, spelling and math.
But the schedule also included a lesson in giving.
The students in Robin Kato and Tara Hornemann's classes spent 45 minutes packing boxes of donated items for shipment to troops serving in Iraq. The students filled 16 boxes Friday morning after filling eight boxes on Tuesday.
"It's important for them to be involved in giving this time of year. Plus, this lets them be a part of something more worldly," Kato said. "We've got kids in school whose parents are over there."
The school collected more than 300 pounds of books, magazines, personal-hygiene items and food to send to the soldiers. The students also made Christmas decorations to go into the boxes for the holidays.
"It's just overwhelming the outpouring of support from the students, families and staff for these soldiers," Kato said.
Derek Barry, 7, said he was glad to be able to help.
"We want to help them so they have stuff for Christmas. I think they will like the magazines and the food best," Barry said. "We put decorations in there too, some paper trees so they have something for Christmas."
The project has a special meaning for Kato, her brother Lance Cpl. Bradford H. Kato was deployed to the region in September as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.
"I feel like I didn't have any control over him joining the Marines and leaving. But I have access to 700 kids here at Seeliger that can help," Kato said.
Kato keeps a picture of her brother hanging on the chalkboard above sheets of paper with greetings from the children.
Tiffany Dalton, 6, Mark Huckabay, 8, and Xavier Martinez, 7, worked quickly to pack two boxes. The first weighed 14 pounds and the second weighed just over 9 pounds.
"Let's put some candy in, everybody likes candy and soap, we need to give him some soap," Mark said.
"It's like present Tetris, pack the big items first then puzzle around them to get as much in as possible," Hornemann told the class.
The boxes will cost $8.10 each, regardless of weight, to mail. While the parent-teacher association is helping defray some of the shipping cost, the school is hoping for donations to get the packages mailed.
You can help
To make a donation to help defray the postage costs for packages from Seeliger Elementary School students to troops stationed overseas send a check made out to Seeliger Elementary School with Adopt a Troop in the memo line to:
Seeliger Elementary School
2800 S. Saliman Road
Carson City, NV 89701.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.