Ponte Vedra Palm Valley Elementary School teacher Melissa Garcia’s fourth-grade class made a difference in the lives of several people this year, especially senior residents from Ponte Vedra Gardens Alzheimer’s Special Care Center.
Each Monday — dubbed "Make a Difference Monday" — Garcia’s students wrote post-it note messages of thanks and encouragement for a specific staff person at the school, stealthily sticking the notes to their doors or windows so as to remain anonymous.
Sometimes, the students wrote notes to each other when the class needed a little boost of kindness.
The students found ways to make a difference outside of school, as well. In November, they responded to a request for notes to accompany Thanksgiving meals being delivered to senior citizens in the county. In December, they prepared cards for Heartillery Group to send to deployed military personnel. In February, they started sending monthly messages to the residents of Ponte Vedra Gardens.
The students were surprised to learn that the great-grandmother of one of their classmates was a resident there. That made the project more personal.
At one point, after losing a grade-level contest, one of the students said, "That's okay. We write letters to senior citizens."
Garcia said she was proud of the students’ mature attitude in recognizing how important their letters were compared to a Popsicle prize. The students appreciated the value of being kind and encouraging.
Ponte Vedra Gardens Program Director Jennifer McCormick suggested a visit with some of the residents to further build the relationship between the students and the seniors.
The students were excited about the visit and getting to see the recipients of their letters. On their own, they had the idea to not just write letters, but collect puzzles to send back for all the residents to share. They also made personalized "Brag Tag" necklaces for all the residents. The visit went so well that no one wanted to leave.
In fact, one of the residents recognized Garcia because they had once taught preschool together.
