LOCAL NEWS | By Tabitha Evans Moore | Editor & Publisher
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. – In Mrs. Ashley Gass’s Pre-K 619 classroom, Valentine’s Day is about much more than candy hearts and construction-paper cards. This February, her students – ranging in age from just 3 to 6 – are taking part in Hearts Across America, a project designed to connect them with people far beyond their classroom walls. The class is a uniquely balanced mix: half of the students receive services through individualized education plans, while the other half serve as carefully selected peer models. Together, they form a learning environment built on inclusion, empathy, and deep connection.
“Every child who comes into this classroom is loved, accepted, and celebrated,” Mrs. Gass explained. Those values are woven into the daily rhythm of the room, where students learn early on that everyone learns a little differently – and that offering support to one another is simply part of being a community. By participating in Hearts Across America, the class is extending that same spirit outward, forging connections with people they may never meet, but who suddenly feel a little closer through a shared exchange.
The goal, Mrs. Gass said, is ambitious but heartfelt: receiving at least one Valentine from every U.S. state. As cards arrive, students will read them together as a class, color in the corresponding state on a large map, and proudly display each card on the wall. If a card arrives from another country? That, she said, would take the experience to an entirely new level – an unexpected reminder of just how big, and how friendly, the world can be.
The giving aspect of the project is just as meaningful. Each student will create five handmade Valentine’s cards of their own. Using a spinning “name wheel,” the class will decide which child sends a card to which sender, turning the act of giving into a shared, joyful ritual. The hope is that all incoming cards arrive before Valentine’s Day, allowing the students time to send thoughtful replies in return – learning that kindness isn’t just received, it’s reciprocated.
Beyond the excitement of mail and maps, the project is rooted in early learning science. Mrs. Gass sees it as a powerful way to introduce young children to the vastness of the country – and the idea that perspectives, traditions, and cultures differ from place to place. During these formative years, when brain connections are developing at a rapid pace, she believes exposure to “bigger than me” concepts helps children build curiosity, empathy, and an openness to lifelong learning.
Years from now, Mrs. Gass hopes her students remember more than just Valentine’s cards or state names. She hopes they remember the feeling – that slowing down to build connections matters, that small gestures can serve a greater purpose, and that the world is both wider and warmer than they once realized. In a fast-moving world, Hearts Across America is offering these young learners something lasting: the understanding that kindness travels, and that connection always begins with a single act.
If you would like to help these local kiddos reach their goal, please mail a Valentine’s Day card to LES Pre-K 619, Attention: Ashley Gass, 276 Mechanic Street, Lynchburg, TN 37352. And they’ll send you one back!•
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