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SALT LAKE CITY — There's a tree outside a classroom at Valley Mental Health's Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children With Autism that just might melt the heart of the Grinch himself.
For starters, his likeness is prominently displayed on the tree, as are ornaments fashioned out of recycled materials such as ribbons fashioned from newspaper advertising inserts, an empty Cheezit box for an ornament and a gently used Lysol wipes container serving as a tree topper.
Welcome to the Pingree Center's miniature "festival of trees." Each classroom decorated a tree, some which were traditional trees decorated with ornaments made by students, as well as more abstract versions such as a tree made of the students' full-body silhouettes cut from green butcher paper and arranged in the shape of an evergreen tree.
The festival was the brainchild of Jason Taylor, instructional aide for grades K-3, who said the activity helped the students hone their fine and gross motor skills. But decorating the trees also stimulated social interaction among the students.
We just wanted to have some fun with our kids with these trees. It’s a huge social tool. We want opportunities for our kids to socialize as much as possible.
–- Pete Nicholas
"I think it went really well. Everyone put a lot of effort into it. It looks really nice," Taylor said.
Students took particular pride in their classroom trees and the ornaments they made, said Pete Nicholas, the center's director.
Hunter, 12, pointed out his handiwork on his classroom tree, which included ornaments depicting angels, candy canes and Santa Claus.
The tree, Hunter said, "is a fake." In years past, the Pingree Center has been a regular visitor of the community Festival of Trees, an activity that has been a fun outing for students. This year, the school staged its own small-scale version.
"We just wanted to have some fun with our kids with these trees," Nicholas said. "It’s a huge social tool. We want opportunities for our kids to socialize as much as possible."
On Wednesday, Santa Claus paid a visit to the Pingree Center, which was part fun and another opportunity to work on social skills.
To watch some students readily interact with Old St. Nick was particularly rewarding to staff and parents.
"That's the payoff," Nicholas said.
Hunter agreed: "I love Santa. He's just the nicest person in the world."
Email:mcortez@ksl.com
