POST FALLS — It was almost unanimous.

The majority of Julie Beck's first- and second-graders at Greensferry Elementary School are ready to shed their winter bundles and run in the sun.

They penned their pleas to Punxsutawney Phil, the all-knowing oracle of Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania.

"Dear Mr. Groundhog, I want an early spring because my sister’s birthday is in spring," second-grader Roslyn Vreeken said, reading Friday from her worksheet, which included a rainbow-colored groundhog.

"You get the flu in winter. I want to not see snow. Snow is cold. Spring is warm. I want to go to the park. I want to go hiking and see butterflies. I want to see rainbows," she read. "I do not want to wear a coat. I want to see the sun. I could ride my skateboard at the skate park. I could set up my trampoline. The only fun thing in winter are no school, hot chocolate and you make snowmen. Those are the only fun things in winter. That is why I want spring. I hope you predict an early spring."

Second-grader Baylor Gibbs echoed his classmate's solicitations for spring.

"Dear Mr. Groundhog, I don't want you to see your shadow because if you don't see your shadow, other kids can't ride their bikes, and when people need to go somewhere, if they don't have a car, it would be hard to get to that place. Also, if they have a car, it would be slippery," he read.

Although his classmates dream of sunny days, second-grader Cade Hirsch is firm in his opposition to winter being done.

"Dear Mr. Groundhog, I want you to see your shadow because it hasn't snowed a lot," he read from his worksheet. "Another reason I want you to see your shadow is because I can do more snowball fights and sled down hills. The third reason is I can make more snowmen."

The students made their Groundhog Day predictions after learning about the long-standing American tradition of a groundhog and his shadow forecasting how soon spring will arrive. For Beck and her students, it was a fun and educational way to incorporate their reading and writing talents into a current event.

"I love bringing what is happening out in the world into the classroom," Beck said. "This allows me to integrate all subjects while getting my students excited about their learning and to awaken their curiosity. We learned so much about Groundhog Day while writing, reading and making predictions. We can’t wait for Monday to see what Punxsutawney Phil predicted on Sunday and whose predictions were true!"

No matter what Phil and his shadow do today, at least one of Beck's students will be right!