(WTNH) — At ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School their focus is art integration. With the pandemic, they decided to do a special project that also incorporated community involvement. 

Ingrid Ellinger-Doviak is a Magnet Coach and she tells News 8, “We tried to instill the idea of joy and kindness and they said, ‘Where is a local place we can bring joy to?’ and that’s how the idea really fostered.” 

The school decided to have the students write cards for people at a nearby assisted living facility. News 8 sat in as a fourth-grade class created their cards.

Student Kobe Basking told us, “it’s to show kindness to each and everybody in our community.” 

Ellinger-Doviak says the project became an arts-integrated communication piece for the students.

Another student, Alayna Capriglione tells News 8 she’s glad she gets to send a note to someone who may need it during the pandemic, “not that many people get to see their family, and a lot of people miss their families.” 

Not only did the students create notes, but they also video-chatted with some of the residents at the assisted living facility.

“A lot of these residents haven’t seen anybody for a long time so we thought that might be a technologically-driven way to give some joy to them.” 

Spreading joy and kindness on paper and on video calls, not letting the pandemic stand in their way.