Laurel School First Graders receive dolls made by M-A High School students

Laurel Lower Campus Administrative Counselor Ashley Guilliot collaborates with M-A High School stagecraft teacher Ms. Bathauer-Grinstead on a project that builds understanding and brings joy to all students involved.

It begins with the adorably different town of Uglyville where weirdness is celebrated, strangeness is special, and beauty is embraced as more than meets the eye. After traveling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy and her UglyDoll friends discover Perfection, a town where more conventional dolls receive training before entering the real world to find the love of a child. Soon, the UglyDolls learn what it means to be different, ultimately realizing that they don’t have to be perfect to be amazing.

At Laurel, Ms. Guilliot guided first grade students through creating a sketch of an Ugly Doll of their own. The class watched a film clip to familiarize themselves with the Ugly Dolls movies/books and then got to work on their designs. The idea behind the Ugly Dolls lesson is that everyone is lovable and that there shouldn’t be an emphasis on perfection.

Then the high school stagecraft class used the first graders’ designs to sew the dolls by hand, while learning during their creating of the dolls that “being perfect” isn’t the goal, rather they can create something that brings joy without it being perfect.

Back at Laurel, the young students have been patiently awaiting their Ugly Doll delivery and the day finally arrived — they are all excited to be bringing home their very own Ugly Doll to keep and love forever!