Sacred Heart Elementary embraces the Christmas spirit

Earlier this month, The Gazette published a notice asking Eastern Iowa schools to nominate school holiday community services projects. A group of reporters voted on the submissions, selecting three projects for publication in the newspaper. The following is one of the nominations we received.

Students at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Monticello took on several holiday community service projects, spreading Christmas joy to everyone from U.S. soldiers serving overseas to singing Christmas carols for senior citizens. The following are the projects Sacred Heart students completed during the holiday season:

-- Students have collected non-perishable food items, toiletries and other items and are making cards and writing letters to be sent to U.S. soldiers stationed in Turkey.

-- Students are collecting food items for the local food pantry for a food drive organized by Superior Appliance in Monticello.

-- Members of the Booster Club and staff will decorated a tree for the community tree extravaganza.

-- Fourth through sixth grade Students in grades performed a holiday light show for the community as part of the Christmas program for all elementary students.

-- A group of students visited the Senior Citizens Dining to perform Christmas music yesterday.

-- And my favorite -- each student in kindergarten through sixth grade made an advent wreath. In the center of the wreath they placed 17 slips of paper, each with an idea for good deeds. There was one for each school day in the Advent season. Ideas ranged from making a Christmas card for a shut-in to helping a classmate on the playground. Each day, in every classroom, the students would pull out one of the ideas and then try to achieve it by the end of the day.