Kindergarteners Enjoy Pack Full Of Goodies

by Tiffany Turner

Like most kindergarteners, those starting at Pinedale Elementary School (PES) carried a brand-new backpack with new crayons, glue stick, pencils and a notepad. However, unlike most students, these backpacks were a gift to the kindergartners from the Pinedale Preschool with a grant from the Sublette County BOCES.

Stuffed full of books, magnetic letters, pencils, crayons, school box, colored pencils and other useful items, the backpacks were picked up by parents during the kindergartners’ open house (or sooner if they stopped by the Pinedale Preschool). This program was started last year by the preschool and has continued to grow into this year.

“They are a wonderful thing,” said kindergarten teacher Jennifer Hayward. “They give the kids an opportunity to have classroom materials to practice with at home.”

Another kindergarten teacher, Mary Wills, also expressed appreciation for the program and stated that her son was still using his to start the first grade.

“They are LL Bean backpacks, and they really do last,” she said. “They were given out to help kindergarteners get ready for school, and maybe to help families that are disadvantaged – I think they are wonderful.” Wills said the only downside she could see with the backpacks was that students moving to the area or students whose families did not pick up the backpacks would not get to enjoy them.

“The backpack program is a great gift to our incoming kindergarten students and their parents,” said PES Principal Greg Legerski. “I truly appreciate all of Pinedale Preschool’s work in writing the BOCES grant and putting all the materials together.”