When she saw the clothing piled on the table at Northern Lights School last week, Peggy Kiiski's face brightened.
"I could just cry," she said.
The items -- 26 hats, 20 pairs of mittens, seven pairs of boots, four jackets, four pairs of snow pants, two pairs of gym shoes and two packs of underwear -- were donated by the Superior/Douglas County Youth Leadership group.
"This is very, very useful," Kiiski said. "Especially in the middle of winter when we need it the most."
Some Northern Lights students are dropped off nearly an hour before school starts. Often, Kiiski sees them waiting in the cold with no socks, mittens or hats. Some have jackets with broken zippers, some lack snow pants.
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"Even 10 minutes is a long time when you don't have boots and mittens on," Kiiski said.
A simple pair of socks can keep a child's attention on the lesson instead of his of her cold feet.
"Especially at the elementary level, if a child gets wet on the playground, it's pretty miserable to be sitting in class wet," said Nancy Smith, director of health services for the Superior School District.
Northern Lights is not alone. A child recently came to Bryant School wearing slippers. Cooper staff see students come to school in the coldest weather without socks.
Sometimes, it's a case of children leaving home in the morning without all their gear. School staff encouraged parents to ensure children are dressed properly for the weather before they go out the door.
Other times, students just don't have proper clothing.
A growing need
Every elementary school in the district keeps a supply of clothing on hand for students in need. At Bryant, it fills half a four-foot square closet and a rolling stack of drawers. Outerwear is stored in a coat closet at Cooper; pants, shirts, underwear and more are stored in bins and drawers of the nurse's office. At Four Corners, size-appropriate extra clothing is stored in each classroom.
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Each relies on donations from parents, churches, organizations and individuals to keep their closets full. Some, like Cooper School, get a big boost from their Parent Teacher Association. Often, items abandoned in lost and found bins find their way back into circulation through the clothes closets.
But the need is growing. Great Lakes counselor Terri Bronson found that out this fall. After seeing many children come to school without cold weather gear, she sent letters out to all the parents asking if they needed help.
"We had a tremendous response," said Principal Cindy Magnuson.
Outfitting a child is an expensive measure -- $90 per child on sale, the counselor said. Some parents just couldn't do it, and school officials found the need for assistance greater this year than last.
"I think the economy has had a huge impact on kids," Bronson said.
Through the combined efforts of school staff, parents, a school classroom in Hermantown, a Superior church, a Duluth real estate business and a hospital, every child who needed help got it.
Fifty-eight requests were turned in, Bronson said, but "we've probably given warm clothing to 100 students."
And at least 10 jackets, boots and snow pants remain in the counselor's office.
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The rewards are seen in the school hallways every day.
"Just being able to see the smile on their faces," Magnuson said, was worth the effort.
How to help
Many schools are in need of clothing, especially jeans or sweatpants for the youngest students. Smith encouraged anyone interested in donating items to contact the school and ask about specific needs. She also urged families to talk with school staff if they need help in outfitting their children.
"We would rather work on it together than the child not have it," Smith said.
School staff also suggested sending an extra outfit -- pants, shirt, underwear, socks -- to school for each student. If clothing gets wet or muddy, the child could just reach into their backpack or locker instead of trying to find donated clothing that fits or wait for parents to bring in clean clothes.
