By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Learning can travel far beyond the classroom walls even all the way across the United States.For Lucille Allin, a Special Education Early Childhood teacher at Morris Hill Elementary, creativity and curiosity are at the heart of everything she does. During winter break, she came across a post about preschool classrooms exchanging valentine’s cards with schools in other states and immediately knew it was not only something special, but something she wanted to be involved in.
“I thought this would be a great idea for my class to not just create valentine's cards to share, but also a chance to learn about each state,” said Allin.Rather than simply creating valentine cards, Allin turned the project into a meaningful learning experience for her early childhood students. Each handmade valentine includes information about the city, school and the state it came from. When her class sent out their cards, they proudly also shared facts about Fort Riley, giving students a chance to showcase their own community while learning about others.“That’s the coolest part in that each valentine we have sent includes facts about Fort Riley,” said Allin.
As each valentine’s card arrives, the excitement builds and you can feel the excitement in the air as each card is read aloud as a class, sparking conversations and curiosity.“When we receive the valentine, we read it as a class, put a heart on the state, and then staple it to the bulletin board for everyone to see,” said Allin.That visual display helps students track which states they’ve heard from and which ones they’re still hope to reach. In the end, the Allin and her student’s goal is ambitious and inspiring as they plan to send and receive 50 total valentines. As of the end of January, the class had already received 14 cards and sent out 30, steadily building connections across the nation.
That same spirit of connection is alive and well at Sheridan Elementary where Yadira Cruz Ortiz and D'Avona Stanisic’s Pre-K classroom is participating in Hearts Across Our Country for the second year in a row. This winter, the Stallions have created and sent handmade Valentines to preschool classrooms across the United States.Like Allin’s class, each arrival becomes a lesson in geography, kindness, and community. The class also read their cards aloud, shows where they came from, and invite students to place a sticker on the corresponding state on their classroom map. Their goal is to receive a Valentine from every state, helping students learn that even at a young age, small acts of kindness can create meaningful connections.Through creativity, collaboration, and a whole lot of heart, these classrooms are proving that learning truly knows no boundaries.