West Madison donates rubber ducks to Sandy Hook

(CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Humor sometimes can help to heal even the deepest wound.

That premise applies for the outreach by second-graders in Cheryl Bailey’s class at West Madison Elementary School. Bailey recently read in a blog about the special resource officers (SRO) of Newtown, Conn. who continue to help their community to recover.

The officers “are putting out a request for donations … not for money but for rubber duckies for students of Sandy Hook Elementary School,” Bailey said. “After the tragedy in December, someone sent the students and school a box of rubber ducks.”

In January, officers set up the new school for students to return and decided to hide and or place all the rubber ducks throughout the school to put a smile on the students’ faces. “It worked!” Bailey said. “Now, it’s so popular that students trade them and earn them. The SROs (are working) to keep a supply of ducks for this year and hopefully next year.”

With principal Dr. Daphne Jah’s approval, Bailey bought some ducks that are pre-labeled with “Madison, Alabama” on the bottom. “Students will be able to donate a dollar, sign the duck with the their initials and give the duck so we can send them all back to Sandy Hook elementary,” Bailey said.

The ducks will ship out from West Madison to Connecticut during the week of April 15. “The sixth-grade students will go room to room in the morning to sell ducks to classes,” Bailey said. “All money collected and ducks will be sent to the SRO officers at Sandy Hook the following week.”

Before spring break, the Student Leadership made signs that read, “The DUCKS are coming” and placed the signs all around West Madison. This gimmick caused the students to ask, “What are the ducks? … what ducks?”

“They are very curious,” Bailey said. A new sign that reads, “Give a duck for a buck,” has been posted this week.

For more information, visit blog.reallygoodstuff.com/the-ducks-of-sandy-hook-elementary.