Several boxes full of leftover Halloween candy line the Center School hallway. But these sweet treats are not for the students to eat. Instead, they will be shipped off to soldiers across the world as part first grade teacher Christine Allen's "Sweets for Soldiers" project. Allen first got the idea for the project after reading a magazine article on ways to use extra Halloween candy and decided it would be a great educational experience for her class.
Allen's room parent Stephanie Szewczyk loved the idea so much that she reached out to first grade teacher Timothy Sanford's class,as well as the community, in order to bolster donations. And the totals were sure impressive. As part of a math exercise, Allen had the kids count how many pieces of candy were in a box. They discovered that there were about 1,000 pieces per box, for a grand total of 15,000 pieces of candy, and with a weight of around 2 tons! Besides candy, the students also collected other types of snack food, as well as footballs, and other items to cheer up the soldiers. The kids also sent the soldiers letters thanking them for their sacrifices.
Watch the HCAM News video to watch as the candy is picked up.
Szewczyk hopes to continue the program next year, and hopes it expands past Allen and Sanford's classes.
