South Allegheny students bring sense of snow to friend in Hawaii
Ava Hilgner was playing in the sand while her former kindergarten classmates were playing in the snow.
Ava, 6, moved to Hawaii in January when her dad was assigned to an Army base there. Last month, Mother Nature dumped nearly 30 inches of snow on Ava's old home in Lincoln.
She's heard plenty about the record snowfall from neighborhood friends and her former South Allegheny Elementary School classmates, who have kept in touch through letters, e-mails and text messages.
"We're getting texts and photos saying 'school was out for a week and look at these icicles,' and we're at the beach snorkeling," said Ava's mom, Erika, 38. "Hearing that they're standing in snow forts up to their waist, it's amazing because here we are in a place that never sees snow."
The Hilgners live in Waikiki on the island of Oahu.
The latest endeavor of Ava's former classmates was to bundle up and head outside to make a five-minute video about the snow to send to their friend. They stood in front of a snow pile almost higher than their teachers stand tall.
"I said, 'Hi Ava, I miss you,' " said Payton Linhart, 6. She was among the first of Ava's friends to send her a letter after she moved.
"Sometimes that's hard for parents to help their kids keep in touch, so that was really touching," Hilgner said.
The Hilgners plan to send the class different types of sand from Hawaii's beaches.
Ava's former kindergarten teacher, Terry Martin, said having a pen pal has been a fun learning experience for the students.
"We just heard from her, and she sent all of the kids key chains and a letter (about) Hawaii," Martin said.
The Hilgners moved to Lincoln about a year ago to be close to family while Ava's dad, Lt. Col. Tim Hilgner, 42, was serving in Iraq. Her mom grew up there and her grandmother still lives there.
Ava has lived in plenty of places, including Japan and Washington, but living in Lincoln was her first chance to make friends at school.
"What a great group of kids she ended up with for her first experience with kindergarten," Erika Hilgner said. "I was so surprised and amazed at how kind these kids are. I find it really hard to believe that Ava would ever forget that group of kids."
