Pinwheel project puts spin on awareness

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
MAKING A STATEMENT FOR CHILDREN — Bailey Voss, 3 years old, plants her pinwheel in the ground near the school billboard as classmates in her Southern Aroostook Community School pre-K class watch. The project is a reminder to the community about child abuse prevention. From left are: Conner Walker, Maggie Harthorne, Camden Porter, Leigha Hartin, Shayna McMannus, Andrew Young and Graham Siltz.
By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    DYER BROOK — Pre-K students at the Southern Aroostook Community School (SACS) learned the importance of child abuse prevention and awareness last week when they planted pinwheels near the school’s purple and white billboard.
    Earlier that morning the children learned how harmful hitting can be during a classroom session with  their teachers. Midge Henderson, the family service worker for SACS and ACAP said, “the children read a book, ‘Hands Aren’t for Hitting’ and we discussed different ways they could use their hands.” She also said the children discussed petting animals without hitting them.
    Apparently the discussions were clear to the children. After planting her pinwheel, 3-year-old Harmony Shephard said, “hitting is not good and you have to say you’re sorry.” Brandi Christianson, a teacher at the Dyer Brook pre-K, described her students as “energetic and fun” adding that the students and teachers “talked about how hands are to be kept to ourselves and hands are not for hitting.”
    Prior to planting their pinwheels, Henderson had to arrange for someone to till the ground because it was still hard and packed down tight. As they put on their coats and jackets to go outside, Linda Slauenwhite, an ACAP teacher at the Dyer Brook pre-K commented that the day before, when the project was supposed to take place, it had been cold and rainy. But, at that moment, “the weather was cooperating with the sun was shining for the children to put their pinwheels in the grass.”
    Henderson said the pinwheels would be “a symbol they can drive by and explain to their parents and relatives so the community can be aware of it.” After the children had planted their pinwheels one remarked, “it’s snowing.” Light flurries, within minutes, briefly turned into tiny bits of hail with the backdrop of Mt. Katahdin reminding everyone of northern Maine’s majestic beauty.
    At presstime this week, despite the strong Aroostook County winds, Diana Betschner, the elementary school secretary, said the children’s pinwheels were still standing.