West Point Elementary Teams Up with Soldiers to Craft Holiday Cards

Students at West Point Elementary School teamed up with local soldiers Dec. 11 to create handmade holiday cards for service members deployed overseas, spreading cheer during the holiday season.

Led by art teacher June Webb, the initiative brought volunteers from the Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program into classrooms, where they assisted first- through fourth-grade students in crafting cards featuring ornaments, winter scenes and festive trees.

Sgt. Christopher Couts, BOSS president, explained the project's purpose to the children, emphasizing how the cards would uplift deployed troops separated from their families. "These cards will be something that cheers them up," Couts told the students, according to participants.

The volunteers, who stayed from 9:40 a.m. to 2:05 p.m., included Staff Sgt. Danelle from the U.S. Military Academy Military Police Company; Spc. Strano from the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School; Spc. Lopez and Spc. James from Keller Army Community Hospital; and Spc. Davis from the Soldier Recovery Office.

They worked alongside teachers in fourth grade with Gale, third grade with Bluman, second grade with Dittel and first grade with Cook. Soldiers sat with students, offering help and conversation, fostering connections that the children enjoyed.

The event, held in the school's art classes, aimed to support overseas troops by providing tangible reminders of home.