Maple Elementary School keeps extra gloves and hats on hand for students. SUBMITTED PHOTO—
@kate_ashworth
EASTHAMPTON — To make the most of recess in the wintertime, a kid’s got to have the right gear.
During the winter, students bundle up before going out to the playground, but sometimes kids lose some of their winter wear or just don’t have proper gear.
When Maple Elementary School’s parking lot is plowed, a bank of snow is created. Many kids will climb up the snowbank and slide down, parent Don Heywood said.
“If they don’t have boots and snow pants, they’re not allowed to do that,” he said.
Heywood spread the word about collecting gear for the school’s students through a Facebook post. He said he was inspired by a similar effort at College Church in Northampton where members are collecting snow boots for students at the Bridge Street School.
The community responded.
Wendy Taylor-Jourdian, manager of The Parson’s Closet thrift store, said she saw the post and decided to help out. The store, next to the Easthampton Congregational Church, has a winter sale every year before closing to get ready for spring. Taylor-Jourdian said she’ll pull together kid-size snow gear left over from the sale and donate the items to the school.
She won’t be the only one to help. “Yesterday, a woman came in and bought two bags of things for the Maple School,” Taylor-Jourdian said.
Maple School Principal Judy Averill confirmed that, to play on the snowbanks, children must wear snow pants and snow boots. They need to dress warmly just to play on the playground. The school does not allow any outdoor recess when the weather is below 20 degrees, she said.
The school keeps winter wear on hand, and many teachers will use their own money to buy gloves and hats, to make sure they have enough for the students in their classroom, Averill said.
“We want all kids warm.”
Some students may not have snow gear because their families cannot afford it, but many times things are lost or left at home, she said.
Averill said the school is tight on storage space, and she asked that anyone interested in donating contact the school to see what is needed the most. Some gifts have already arrived.
The knitting group “Wednesday Morning Ladies,” which meets at the Easthampton Community Center, donated handmade hats and pairs of mittens to the school.
Easthampton Community Center director Robin Bialecki said she’s ready to help, too, if the school needs clothing for its students. Easthampton school officials have brought some students to the center for warm clothes and have also asked the center to send over specific sizes, Bialecki said.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.
