Shoreham school's messages of hope quilt going to Sandy Hook

A hand-decorated quilt bearing messages of hope will make its way Friday from Miller Avenue Elementary School in Shoreham to the new Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

The Parent Teacher Organization at the Shoreham school generated the idea of the quilt, anonymous donations were given to fund the project, and squares of fabric were sent home to families to customize, according to school officials.

These squares were transformed into messages of hope, from one family and learning community to another, then stitched together by the PTO to make the quilt that is briefly on display in the building’s lobby before being sent off to Connecticut, school officials said.

Miller Avenue’s PTO president Jo Napolitano said: “May this quilt, created by our children, be a symbol of hope to the families of Sandy Hook.”

Miller Avenue parent Loren Langenhahn, along with her two children in the school and two children in another school in the district, decorated one square with angels, a sun, hearts and a dove.

“It was heartwarming to see people coming together and doing something nice for people that they don’t even know,” she said.