Sandy Hook School parents, teachers, and students said “Thank You BERRY Much, Monroe!” at the 40th Annual Monroe Strawberry Festival, held June 14 and 15 on the Monroe Green.

The annual event is hosted by the Monroe Congregational Church.

As a way to say “Thank you” to the Monroe community for its enormous generosity, the Sandy Hook School PTA hosted a tent where kids of all ages could paint a small terracotta pot to look like a strawberry. Inside each pot a small zinnia or marigold plant was placed, along with a wooden stick that read “SHS says thank you!”

The craft was free to anyone who stopped by the booth. But it generated $400 in donations, all of which is being donated to the Children’s Department of the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library in Monroe.

About 50 Sandy Hook School volunteers helped run the craft-making booth over two days, including parents, teachers, and students. With such beautiful weather, the event was packed. An estimated 400 to 500 people stopped by the booth to paint a pot.