KELLOGG — Making spirits bright was the goal last week as first graders from Cataldo Elementary made an impromptu stop to Shoshone Medical Center a few days before Christmas.

The hospital isn’t a cheerful holiday destination many people associate with the holiday season, but for the first graders, sharing their hobbies on their special holiday field trip helped them connect with staff and a few patients. At the end of the visit, everyone parted ways with smiles on their faces.

In the hospital cafeteria, the students began by presenting all of the adults with handmade beaded ornaments. A patient quietly intoned to herself, “They’re so cute,” as she placed her ornament in the hospital gown pocket by her heart.

Katie VanHoose took a break from her work as medical records manager of the hospital to spend some time coloring with Ruby and her little sister, Scout.

“I haven’t colored in a while,” VanHoose said with a chuckle as she compared coloring techniques with the girls. 

Teresa Davis, also of the medical records department, wound up with two ornaments since she was gifted the decoration by both Brantlee and Sawyer.

Although the merrymaking students were without their usual musical leader, they carried on and sang “Jingle Bells” and “You Are My Sunshine” for those gathered in the cafeteria to meet them at Shoshone Medical Center.

A patient using an oxygen tank still sang along to the chorus for “Jingle Bells,” even though her voice was faint. The offering of a coloring page with the words “peace and love” became a gift from Jack to her as she worked on a coloring page of her own.

Games of tic-tac-toe broke out between mixed groups of kids and grownups as they schooled one another on winning tactics. The warm exchange concluded between the young students and their new friends at the hospital with talks about everyone’s favorite colors.

Watching her students have the empathy and emotional intelligence to make the first move and invite the adults into their worlds was something that made it worth the trip more than worth it for teacher Jackie Durham.

    Miles and Pierlee share a coloring project while spreading some Christmas cheer at Shoshone Medical Center. The visit started off with the kids presenting beaded ornaments they made to staff and patients in the cafeteria. Any students with extra ornaments gave them to hospital staff to be gifts to patients who weren't mobile enough to join them for a visit.
  

    Sisters Scout, left, and Ruby, right, color with their new friend at Shoshone Medical Center, Katie VanHoose. Sawyer is seated next to Ruby and across from medical records staffer Teresa Davis.