Wellington students design greeting cards for troops

The kindergarten through grade three students at Wellington School have been busy making Christmas cards for the troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Japan and Germany. This local effort is part of a nationwide project called Operation Christmas Cards.
    Principal Cindy Peterson invited Jeff Swimm, a local artist and former Wellington student to work with the classes in designing the cards. Swimm specializes in graphite drawings. Since this project was for Christmas the students learned how to draw a decorated tree and other decorations appropriate for the season.
Once the drawings were finished they were sprayed with a special sealant to prevent smudging. The students then wrote messages to the troops, some of which were very moving.
Here are a few examples of their writing:
“Thank you for fighting for our country and our freedom. You should know how proud we are of you. You need to be brave and fight on because no one says, never, because that means you are giving up.”
“Thank you for our freedom and our country. I hope you come home safely. I know your family will miss you. Thank you for all you do for us.”
“Thank you for everything and for protecting our community. We pledge to our flag every day. I hope you stay safe. You are doing a good thing for America. I am sad that you have to miss Christmas, but it is worth it. We have a lot of freedom.”
“Thank you for fighting for us and thank you for going to places to fight through Christmas. I know you’re doing a good job. You are so brave to go and fight for us and not see your family for two years. I appreciate that you go and fight for our freedom.”
“Keep fighting for the goodness of your heart. Keep fighting hard. I appreciate your hard work. I know you are probably struggling with your hard work. I know you are missing your family. You are really, really, really brave.”
“Dear Soldier, thank-you for risking your life for us. I feel bad for you, be safe.”
The students are hoping that they will hear from someone who receives a card from the Wellington School group.