Students from the Thoreau Elementary School Fifth Grade Student Council organize handmade valentines to deliver to seniors at the Council on Aging. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
CONCORD — Students from Thoreau Elementary School walked carefully between tables at the Concord Council on Aging on Wednesday, handmade valentines in their hands.
Each card was different. Some were covered in glitter and bright construction paper. Others featured careful drawings, cut-out hearts and handwritten notes wishing someone a happy Valentine’s Day.
As the students handed them out during the Council on Aging’s Valentine’s Jazz Brunch, seniors paused to read the messages. Some smiled quietly. Some held the cards close to their chests. A few reached out for hugs.
In total, Thoreau students created nearly 400 custom valentines for seniors across Concord.
For the nine members of the Fifth Grade Student Council who helped organize the effort, the impact was both immediate and personal.
“It’s really nice to see the reaction when people get the cards,” one student said. “It helps make the community stronger.”
Another added, “Every card brings joy.”
Students spoke in simple terms about why the project mattered to them. “Everyone should feel loved and respected,” one said. Another shared, “I want everyone to feel happy in the world.” Several said their favorite part was watching seniors’ faces light up. “Each card brings a smile to someone’s face,” a student said.
The project was led by the Fifth Grade Student Council, joined by Principal Justin Sparks and School Counselor Rachel Levesque for the delivery.
For Sparks, now in his third year at Thoreau, the initiative represents exactly what he hoped to build when he created the school’s first student council.
“When I came to Thoreau, I wanted students to have a real voice in improving their school and connecting beyond it,” Sparks said. “This is a group of students who saw a need, came up with an idea and followed through. That’s leadership.”
The council includes two fifth graders from each class, including the school’s specialized programs. Students campaign for the council by writing and delivering speeches to classmates, who then vote after learning about the democratic process. Once elected, council members meet every Friday during lunch and recess to identify priorities for the year.
At the start of each school year, the group generates dozens of ideas to improve school life and serve others. They narrow that list to about a dozen initiatives, tackling roughly one each month. Projects have included food drives, planning all-school meetings, organizing spirit days and offering input on school rules and lunch programming.
Last year, one question guided their brainstorming: How can we connect with the broader Concord community?
Students discussed several possibilities before focusing on local seniors. They learned about the role of the Council on Aging and the importance of social connection for older residents. With Valentine’s Day approaching and February break on the horizon, the idea began to take shape.
The council expanded the project from a small group effort to a schoolwide initiative. Student leaders visited classrooms to explain the plan and encourage participation. With support from teachers, materials were distributed and every student at Thoreau created a card using red, pink, white and purple paper, along with personal messages and drawings.
Dan Petitt, director of the Concord Council on Aging, also visited the school and spoke with students about the center’s work and the impact of community outreach.
This year’s personal delivery to the Council on Aging built on that foundation. Once again, nearly every Thoreau student contributed a card. And, this year, the impact was even more immediate, with students hand-delivering the cards.
“For students to see the reaction in real time was powerful,” Sparks said. “They saw that even at 10 or 11 years old, they can make a meaningful difference in someone’s day.”
And the effort to create valentines for the community doesn’t end at Thoreau.
Willard Elementary School also coordinated a delivery of handmade valentines for patients at Emerson Hospital and members of the Minute Man Arc community, an effort led by longtime Student Advisory Council member Liz Berk.
“Watching our students take an idea and turn it into something that reaches hundreds of people in our community is something we’re truly proud of,” said Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter. “This is what student leadership looks like at its best.”
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Principal Justin Sparks, left, and School Counselor Rachel Levesque, right, joined the Fifth Grade Student Council for the card delivery at the Council on Aging. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
The seniors are all smiles while reading the handmade valentines created by Thoreau Elementary School students. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
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