30-year veteran educator Scarlett Gentry heads up unique endeavor benefiting local students

EDITOR’S NOTE:  The print version of this article mistakenly identified Sandra Gentry as the teacher who organized the class project.  The Dale Hollow Horizon apologizes to Hermitage Springs Pre-K teacher Scarlett Gentry, who deserves the proper recognition for her hard work in heading up the project and for all she’s done for local students during her career spanning more than three decades.  We want to apologize for the mistake and say thank you for all you do!

HERMITAGE SPRINGS-Valentine’s Day is now a distant memory, as spring has sprung here in Clay County, but a unique wintertime class project still has a grasp on Hermitage Springs School Pre-K teacher Scarlett Gentry’s young students.

“It really did,” the 30-year veteran educator answered when asked if her ‘Hearts Across America’ project captivated not only her pupils, but the entire school and a big part of the community.  “Some of the bigger kids would stop and comment about it, we had ballgames and people were going through and commenting, and hundreds were involved in making it happen.

“It really encompassed a lot of people.”

Gentry explained the project’s goal was to get at least one card or letter sent to her class from each of the 50 states, but she got a little more than she bargained for.

“We ended up probably getting about 300 cards back in the mail,” she said.  “We ended up getting a card from Germany, one from Canada, and actually one from the Philippines.

“One lady from New Mexico mailed us rocks, we got a license plate, we got treats, people were sending stickers to all the kids in our classroom… It was just phenomenal.”

Gentry said the project took about two months to complete, and she credited the community for its success.

“It was truly a countywide effort,” she said.  “Social media really was my friend.  I talked to other teachers and they talked to their families.

“I had people who were getting online and tagging people in different states.  It was wonderful.”

And while it was going on, Gentry’s students kept up with the progress and learned multiple lessons along the way.

“I took the map, and each card we got, I put a heart on that state,” Gentry said.  “I also took a different map in my classroom, I highlighted Tennessee, and we would take the cards and compare how far the distance was to where the card came from.”

Knowing it literally took not only a nationwide effort, but also a big push from school staff and others to complete, Gentry continued to offer her appreciation to those who helped her class meet their goal.

“I want to especially recognize my teaching assistant Martha McLerran and everyone here at the school,” she said.  “I would like to say thank you to Clay County and to all of the people who helped us get this project going and made it a success.

“I’ve been teaching 31 years and this is my favorite project I have ever done!”