Kindness COUNTS: Linderman school students rewarded for being good citizens
<p>Second grader Kaya buys a sports-themed Christmas ornament from Owen during Linderman Elementary School's All-School Christmas Market on Thursday, Dec. 18.</p>
<p>Second grader Graceann made the most shots for all the second graders during Linderman Elementary School's All-School Christmas Market on Thursday, Dec. 18.</p>
<p>Second grader Graceann made the most shots for all the second graders during Linderman Elementary School's All-School Christmas Market on Thursday, Dec. 18. Vince Lovato / Leader photo</p>
<p>Third graders Lourdes, center, and Alexis check out Aspen's cookie cutter-shaped peppermints during Linderman Elementary School's All-School Christmas Market on Thursday, Dec. 18. "It sounded like fun so I decided to make them for market," Aspen said of her project. Vince Lovato / Leader photos Vince Lovato / Leader photo</p>
<p>Alexa, a third grader, shows off her reindeer inside a decorative bag Thursday, Dec. 18, during Linderman Elementary School's All-School Market. She was very moved by the purchase. She liked the market because, "We get to buy stuff and it feels like being rewarded for being good." Vince Lovato / Leader photo</p>
<p>Second grader Tristan buys a dinosaur clothespin from Owen during Linderman Elementary's All-School Christmas Market on Thursday, Dec. 18. Vince Lovato / Leader photo</p>
Well-behaved second- and third-grade students, laden with Linderman Bucks, buzzed around Linderman gym last Thursday, trying to choose the best way to spend them.
Students earn Linderman Bucks for being good students and good citizens, teacher Kristin Wilson said. The fourth-grade students set up booths to make money for the school’s year-end auction. Fourth graders made food, crafts and offered services at various booths in the annual All School Christmas Market last week.
In June, the students (Linderman only has grades second through fourth) who saved Linderman Bucks all year get to bid on valuable items like TVs and toys, Wilson said. Aspen, a fourth grader, sat smartly at her booth trying to sell her striped treats. She had melted candy canes into cookie cutters and sold them at Thursday’s market. “It kind of sounded like fun and I decided I wanted to make them for the market,” she said.
On the other side of the gym, Owen, 9, was hawking clothespins covered with a dinosaur head and sports-themed tree ornaments and magnets. “I want to make a few more bucks before the end of the year,” he said, as he handed a clothespin to second grader Tristan.
Owen didn’t know what he might buy.
Third grader Alexa was touched by her purchase of a reindeer made of thin, white wood. She carried the fragile knick-knack in a decorative bag.
She also had the best perspective on the event.
“We get to buy stuff,” she said. “And it feels like being rewarded for being good.”