Students at St. John’s in Kenmore send flowers of thanks to health care workers

Third-graders Kennedy and Benji spray their watercolor flowers that will be come corsages. The students at St. John the Baptist in Kenmore made the paper flowers to thank front line workers who keep them safe during this pandemic.

KENMORE — Students at St. John the Baptist School are busy celebrating a fun, but different Catholic Schools Week this year. With COVID restrictions, St. John’s was unable to carry out some of its long-standing Catholic Schools Week traditions, such as the school-wide talent show and obstacle course. Instead, a committee of teachers worked together to plan some fun, COVID-friendly activities for the students. Throughout the week, students attended Mass virtually, created kindness cards for their schoolmates, and participated in a door decorating contest.

            Another fun activity from the week was making a flower craft for frontline workers. Organized by art teacher Jennifer DiVito, students colored paper coffee filters with washable markers and sprayed them to create a watercolor effect. Once the coffee filters dried, the students tied them up with a ribbon and pin to create flower corsages. DiVito included a small note to attach to each, with a message saying, “If you carry joy in your heart … you can HEAL at any moment.”

            “We are so blessed to have our students’ safety in school,” said DiVito, “and we have so many hard-working individuals, especially in health care, to thank for that.” The school plans to donate the flower corsages to Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo for their nursing staff as a thank you for all they do for our community during these difficult times. DiVito went to share, “As a Catholic school, we are committed to showing God’s love to others. We are grateful to nurses and other frontline workers for keeping us safe and healthy every day.”