"They're going to the people that are in the war," 8-year-old Michelle Purcelli said.

 

Pupils from Anna Saldo-Burke's class made about 300 cards, with the assistance from  Drury High students in the English Advanced Placement class. They glued recycled card fronts on the covers of the red or green construction-paper cards. On the inside, the card contained the message "Happy Holidays! Thank you for your service."

 

Saldo-Burke said her class has never made so many cards in one session. She initially thought The Soldiers' Home hosts a 100 or so veterans, but later found out there were about 300. Her class rose to the occasion.

 

"It's really about thinking of others," Saldo-Burke said. "We just try to make a better world by doing this."

 

Saldo-Burke's third-grade class previously made about 500 cards that were sent to an array of troops around Thanksgiving, including international and American servicemen in Afghanistan. The Air Force responded by sending back a plaque, thanking the class.

 

Jaci Abin, a senior at Drury High School, worked with a table of pupils.

 

"We do a lot with community service that we attach to our books," Abin said. Her AP English class recently read "Life of Pi." She said the survival theme linked to the soldiers' life.