Elf on a Shelf Fun Spreads Cheer at Pike County’s Western Local Schools

Presented by McDonald’s, I’m Lovin’ It!

2020 has been such a difficult year for many schools in Ohio, but especially so for Appalachia Ohio. Students entering Western Local Schools were greeted in a special way before their break for Christmas.

“We thought it would be a great idea to do this for our students considering this has been such a tough year for them” said Bethany Whitt, Western Elementary Principal. “The unknowns and uncertainties has caused a lot of stress in our students even those in the primary (k-3) grades.”

Whitt and Western Primary Principal Heather Thompson were found sitting atop the pillars supporting the Western Elementary School sign at the school entrance from Ohio 124 in Latham, Ohio.

“We had decided to make this week as fun as possible for our students and we figured what better way to end the week by dressing up as the elf on the shelf and greet them when they came in” said Whitt.

Whitt said she and Thompson were “on the shelf” for about half an hour. “It worked out better than we expected because  we had a two hour delay with the possibility of some freezing rain in the early hours. With the delay it was lighter outside so we were more visible. We tried to be out front upon the arrival of the first bus and we stayed out there until the last bus and student drop offs were finished.”

Whitt ascribes to the message “Every day, every student deserves a smile, a hug and a dose of humor.”  She says the approach can be attributed to a professor from her under graduate studies who taught “The best thing you can do as a teacher/administrator is build relationships and one way to do this is to have some fun every now and then.”