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HAMILTON — Last year, fourth-graders at Ridgeway Elementary celebrated Right to Read week by learning to fold origami cranes.
The project spun off their reading of “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” the true story of a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia after an atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
During her illness, Sadako made origami cranes, a symbol of hope, to pass the time, wishing to make 1,000 of them before she died.
Now fifth-graders, those same students brushed up on their paper-folding skills last week as part of a compassion project, tying in with the Hamilton City School District’s Character Education Initiative and Ridgeway’s Change for Charity program.
According to art teacher Terry Toney, the students will fold 1,000 cranes, about 10 each, by April 1 to help send hope to the victims of the recent natural disasters in Japan.
The students are also writing a personal message of hope and encouragement inside each crane.
“No matter what happens, have hope and home will come back to you,” wrote Evan Utech in his cranes.
“We wish your life goes well,” wrote Madison Miller, who didn’t need a refresher course and immediately started folding cranes from memory.
“We hope you get through this devastation,” wrote Zach Welch.
On Thursday, students will raise money by selling pencil toppers, bookmarks and other items during lunch period.
On Grandparents’ Day, the students will seek further monetary contributions to send to Japan along with the 1,000 cranes they’ve folded.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.
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