Berlin first-graders get creative to help others at Akron Children's Hospital

A Berlin Elementary first-grade class got a chance to experience a lesson that went well outside the box of a normal classroom lesson when they were invited to participate in the Akron Children’s Hospital 36th annual Holiday Tree Festival.

Megan Mullet’s first-grade class united in a wonderful teaching moment that will aid children at the hospital by making a Christmas tree that was sold to the highest bidder as part of the Christmas celebration fundraiser.

The tree festival took place from Nov. 18-26 at the John S. Knight Center, presented by the volunteers of Akron Children’s Hospital.

Every year more than 200 decorated trees, 85,000 strings of lights and countless other holiday creations are displayed at the John S. Knight Center to benefit Akron Children’s Hospital. Since its beginning in 1982, the Holiday Tree Festival has raised more than $5.3 million for the hospital’s patient care programs, education and research.

This year Mullet’s class had a very personal interest in the event because one of their classmates, Austin Kurtz, had spent three weeks at Akron Children’s Hospital getting a skin graft.

“Austin had surgery and had missed the first couple of weeks of school, and I had been up to the tree festival before, so I knew the purpose of it and how neat it is,” Mullet said.

She applied to submit a tree and was accepted, so the process was in motion.

Having a student who was so closely connected to the hospital inspired Mullet to create an opportunity for her students to learn about showing care and compassion for others, so they set about decorating a 7-foot Christmas tree that became part of the lineup of over 200 trees that would be sold to the highest bidder.

How to decorate the tree became important, and Mullet said knowing Kurtz’s connection with the hospital, they wanted to make it a theme of his choice. An avid fisherman, the theme became fishing, and the class set about creating a tree any angler would be proud to own.

From Nov. 6-9 students were invited to create a new ornament for the tree. Day one saw them utilize the sewing gifts of several volunteer mothers who sewed together denim fish. The students spent time filing the fish with rice and adding eyes. Day two had them bringing in clear light bulbs and painting them with beautiful colors and inspirational messages. Day three they created cute, little snowmen out of red and white fishing bobbers while day four had them bringing in toilet paper craft rolls and forming them into fish and painting them.

“Every child got to make four ornaments. The kids really took ownership of it, and Austin continually called it his tree,” Mullet said with a laugh. “It was so much fun to see them get so invested in it."

In addition to the ornaments, several families donated lures encased in clear bulbs to use as additional ornaments, and the students went about decorating the tree.

“We had fun decorating, and several teachers went together and purchased gift cards for Red Lobster and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and we added some fishing presents under the tree, like a fishing rod and reel and a tackle box and some other gifts. Plus we added a charter fishing trip for three worth $425 to the package,” Mullet said.

Mullet took the tree up to Akron Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, Nov. 14, where it was part of the seasonal show from Nov. 18-26.

On the final day the parents came in, the students got busy making homemade Christmas cards filled with Christmas greetings and well wishes.

While it was a fantastic project filled with plenty of activity and fun, Mullet said it is just as important to teach the students about the importance of giving to others.

“From creating a themed Christmas tree and making all of the ornaments from scratch to making the Christmas cards that will go to the kids in the hospital, this has been a valuable lesson on giving back and caring about others,” Mullet said.