South St. Paul students turn in used school supplies, re-package for preschoolers

For students, the start of school is just a month and a half away. And in South St. Paul, hundreds of older students are making sure the newest students have a fresh bag of supplies to start the year with.

Everyone used to come home for school at the end of the year with broken crayons, half used pencils, and some colored pencils you probably never used.  But the kids in South St. Paul now turn in this stuff on the last day of school.

“This is all for the preschoolers to have fun with learning," an eighth grade student said.

Throughout the summer they've been recycling them for the district's brand new preschoolers.  A handful of kids are repackaging used crayons, pencils, and markers for the preschoolers. The goal is to get them to interact with the tools for learning.

This idea came from Lauri Flattley, a South St. Paul School Board member. The recycled old supplies come in a bag for preschoolers, complete with instructions for parents, and a book.

"A lot of kids we find they just need practice even knowing how to hold a book,” Flattley said.  “We have kids coming to kindergarten that don't know you open a book up and you turn the pages.  So, it's important."