Students at Ocean Beach Elementary School are learning the true spirit of the holidays this season through a service-based learning project that not only advances their education, but also gives back to the community. Second-grade students in Joy Wilson’s class have been recording themselves on CD, reading aloud classic holiday tales like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Henry and Mudge and a Very Merry Christmas” and “The Christmas Santa Almost Missed.” The CD recordings and copies of the books were to be delivered to patients at Rady Children’s Hospital on Dec. 17. Student-teacher Chantal Dore, who co-teaches the class with Wilson, came up with the project idea after speaking with a family friend in Boston who had a terminally-ill child in the hospital two years ago. “One thing they expressed to me was that they [terminally-ill patients] get lonely,” Dore said. After some brainstorming, Dore came up with an idea that would advance her students’ reading ability while also helping children who were unable to be home for the holidays. “While they’re giving back to the community, they’re also learning to read,” said Dore. “They’re becoming better students and better citizens.” The dual lesson did not go unnoticed by the students themselves. “We’re helping ourselves and other people,” said second-grader Kaitlyn Monroe. For Monroe, the project means more to her than simply recording her voice for a nameless patient. She has a cousin of the same age in the hospital, and she plans to deliver her recording of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to her cousin during the holidays. “She can become a better reader [too],” Monroe said. Classmate Isaac Ross said delivering CD recordings in conjunction with the books makes reading easier to his young peers. “They can listen and look at the pictures at the same time to figure out a word,” Ross said. Ross offered up the holiday lesson learned this season: “Be nice to each other, and help others.” “I think we’re doing something really nice for these kids. All they do is lay in the hospital all day, so now they have something to do,” said classmate Ethan Hazlet. “We’re lucky,” said student Thor Willink. “They’re bored. All they have is themselves,” he said. Several students in the class have even taken it upon themselves to write letters to children in the hospital to be delivered with the CDs and books Dec. 17. Just as the Grinch’s heart grows three times bigger in the end of the children’s novel, the second grade class at Ocean Beach Elementary is learning that they too can triple their compassion and help the community this holiday season. OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES Some second-grade students in Joy Wilson’s class at Ocean Beach Elementary School who participated in a special project to read aloud and record holiday CD stories for terminally-ill kids at Rady Children’s Hospital shared their innocent observations of lessons learned this holiday season. Among the gems: • On the moral of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”: “Don’t be a thief” • On the moral of the holidays: “TV rots your brain.”