Paying it Forward, One Monster at a Time

A collaborative project between the kindergarten and the middle school brought students together in an unusually creative way.

“I am a fan of ‘On the Road with Steve Hartman,’ which features various acts of kindness,” said social studies teacher Amy Bergin. “He featured a similar story, and it was so inspirational. It got me thinking that if my kids, who are 12-13 years old, participated in an act of kindness where they knew they would get nothing in return except for seeing the joy on these kindergarteners’ faces with their monsters, then maybe it would follow them into adulthood.”

“It’s something they’ll keep for a long time,” said seventh grader Madeline Benedetto. “It’s a fun memory to have.”

To start, kindergarten teachers read books with friendly monsters, such as “Monster Loves School” and “Color Monster.” Then the students used their imaginations to draw a monster of their own on paper. Then they colored and named them.

“I named mine Gluey, because I like that name,” said kindergartener Zofia Zak. “Mine was round.”

“The first monster I constructed was from a little girl, and she named it Slime,” said seventh grader Gianna Villareale. “She drew little slime blotches all over it, and it was pink. It brought back memories of being in elementary school.”

Once the monster drawings were complete, they were shipped to the middle school, where students in Mrs. Bergin’s W.I.N. periods got to do their part of the project. More than 80 students signed up to make monsters, with many asking to work on a second one once the first was finished. With great attention to detail, craftsmanship, and talent, the students turned the drawings into real handmade stuffed toys.

“First, we started by matching the color of the felt to their monster drawing,” said Gabriella Maher. “We made a black and white copy of their drawing so that we could cut it out to trace onto the felt. Then we sewed it all together and put some fluff in.”

Middle schoolers worked for hours to bring the monster drawings to life. They had to create a template from the original drawing, find materials that closely represented the younger student’s vision, and then cut and sew the pieces together. Faces and smaller details were added to enhance the monsters and bring the vision to life.

“I made my monster with rainbow dots and some stars and rainbow arms,” said kindergarten student Sadie Stewart. “I love rainbows.”

“This group is more challenging because they have more intricate designs,” added Gabriella. “It’s cool to see the different kinds of monsters.”

After the monster stuffies were completed, student monster-makers answered questions for the kindergarteners about who they were, what things they enjoy in middle school, and drew a picture of a monster from their imagination.

Kindergarten students were full of smiles and laughs when they saw their monster drawings in real-life stuffed animal form.

“They sent us a thank you video from the class after they got their monsters. Their reaction in the video was priceless,” said seventh grader Emily Scocozza. “It’s the concept that giving feels better than taking. Just knowing the kindergarteners are going to get a little plushie of what they created and knowing that I would want that if I were in kindergarten, makes me feel good.”

Bergin is thrilled with the response this project received. The kindergarten teachers and students in both schools were enthusiastic to participate. She’s had many middle school students ask to make multiple monsters and even do it again in the future. Creating collaborative projects that span not only grades but also school buildings helps to foster the truest sense of a school community.

“Overall, it has been a ton of work, but it has been wonderful,” said Bergin. “It is a small gesture, but it has been very successful.”

“It’s kind of like paying it forward,” added Gianna. “Even though we know we’re not getting anything in return, it’s still worth it just to see their faces and how happy they were.”