FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Students at a Fort Lauderdale preschool are using art to show their support for survivors of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The 3- and 4-year-olds who attend Shalom Preschool in Fort Lauderdale may not fully grasp what happened on Feb. 14 at the Parkland high school, but they’re playing a part in the recovery process.
Painted thumbprints cover the artwork made by little hands to create a special message for Stoneman Douglas students returning to class next Wednesday.
“Just seeing what’s going on with all the children, we just wanted to reach out and do something nice in our school,” said teacher Melissa Levine.
7News cameras showed Levine as she tried to convey to her pupils what Stoneman Douglas students are going through. “Remember, yesterday, we were telling you about the kids that are a little sad? And we want to send them a beautiful picture,” she said.
Nina Naparstek, the director of Shalom Preschool, said that explaining what happened in Parkland to these toddlers is not easy. “When they ask questions, we answer in an age-appropriate way, and the main focus for us is just promoting the good values to them,” she said.
It may take years for them to fully understand the tragedy, but it won’t stop them from showing their support in their own special way.
“So we drew them a poster board with a dove on it, which represents peace,” said Levine, “and we wanted each child to be a part of it, so we had them do a special fingerprint on it, to send their love.”
The school plans to take the preschoolers’ artwork to Stoneman Douglas over the weekend so it can be ready for the students’ first day of class.
“We really want to instill in the children the values of unity and peace,” said Naparstek.
Classes resume at Stoneman Douglas High on Wednesday.
There will be three half-days, Wednesday through Friday, from 7:40 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
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