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Special to the Interior Journal

This school year has certainly been a challenge for students, families, and staff members. Springtime for schools usually means finalizing preparations for ending the year on a high note and taking the annual state test and performing end-of-year diagnostic work.

Mrs. Nicole Isaacs, instructional coach and building assessment coordinator at Crab Orchard Elementary School, viewed this as an opportunity to spread hope.

A note was sent home with each student in grades 3-5, asking parents/guardians to write a note of encouragement for their child to be given out prior to taking spring exams. Melissa Houp, parent of fourth-grade student Tyler, and an emergency department registered nurse at Ephraim McDowell Health Fort Logan Hospital, was moved by the idea and sought to get members of her workplace on board in sharing kindness and encouragement.

Houp distributed note cards, markers, and stickers to each department and encouraged her colleagues to encourage students. The cards were created by Fort Logan staff, including doctors, nurses, med-techs, hospitality, and housekeeping staff, and delivered to COES by Houp.

“This year has been hard on everyone,” said Houp. “Especially hard for students. We wanted to find a way to spread hope and joy and encouragement to the kids.”

Justin Abbott, COES principal said, “We are so grateful for the strong partnerships we have with community businesses like Fort Logan Hospital, as well as the strong parental support of our programs and our school from Melissa and her counterparts. It is so important to us to know that they believe in what we’re doing.”