Students pulled out of class this February received a colorful crocheted heart stapled to their excused absence pass. 

Each heart is the handiwork of Joan Richardson, Lawrence High’s attendance secretary. She began creating them in January, when school was cancelled for snow.

“I had leftover yarn, and I needed to keep my hands busy,” Richardson said. 

As a secretary, Richardson spends most of her day typing and performing tasks with her hands. She explained that crocheting is beneficial both physically and mentally. 

“Crocheting, knitting, and handwork in general is really, really good for mental health and for people who type…it builds dexterity,” Richardson said.

Each heart has a slightly different color combination or design. Most are either pink, red, or purple, and are palm-sized. They are finished with a bead and an ornament style piece of yarn for hanging. 

Richardson crocheted over 200 hearts before she lost count. She began stapling them to her absence passes in early February, leading up to Valentine’s day.

Teachers and students quickly caught on. 

“It brought me joy, I really loved it,” Algebra teacher Julie Oswald said. “It’s just a nice little gift.” 

When senior Adele Spiess heard about the hearts, she didn’t wait to receive one on an attendance pass.

“Upon seeing one for the first time, I went to the office to get one, I love them,” she said. 

While she doesn’t have a deeper meaning behind each heart, Richardson says she makes sure that any student who comes across her desk gets the handmade gift. 

“[I’m not] picking who does or doesn’t get one,” she said. Everyone, she’s decided, deserves a crocheted heart.

Oswald says it’s a perfect gift for an academically stressful season of the year. 

“February is a really hard time of the year,” she said. “It’s just a nice way to add a little bit of joy to the day.”