TONTOGANY, Ohio — Teachers have to cram a lot into the school day to make sure students hit all their milestones.
Over the years, some more practical skills have been lost, including sewing, knitting and crocheting.
Intervention specialist at Otsego High School Allison Mills and science teacher Megan Pierce have crocheted for years. When they learned they'd be adding success periods to their block scheduling, the pair saw an opportunity.
"We both looked at each other and said, 'we're doing a crochet group!'" Mills said. "Immediately we knew we wanted to do something to teach the next generation."
Success periods are a 40-minute block of time in which there's no new instruction. Clubs get together or students can catch up on school work.
Each Thursday, it's crochet time.
"It's something that I learned from my grandmother and had it handed down to me and I want to make sure it's not something that ends with a certain generation. That we can keep passing it along, " Pierce said.
The students love it.
"The crochet club at Otsego is absolutely amazing," freshman Saphira Cymbola said.
No matter what level of skill they have or whether they're using a crochet hook, knitting needles or a loom, students are engaged.
"I just started this year. At the beginning I had no idea what crocheting was and now I'm really loving it," sophomore Samantha Gundy said.
Maddie Alderman first learned to knit in elementary school.
"I've made hats, dish rags, coasters, lots of things," Alderman said.
Mills and Pierce have helped the students hone their skills.
"I've mostly been working on dish rags and I do really well with really long chains," Cymbola said.
The students said knitting and crocheting is relaxing and allows them to take a break from the stress of school work.
Mills and Pierce said there's nothing better than when the students show off their work.
"'Look what I finished.' and the fact that they're excited about it and seek you out and show you what the items are and you take a picture of it, it fills me with joy," Mills said.
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