Holiday present comes early for Mrs. Ashlaw’s class

MASSENA -- Massena Schools Superintendent Roger B. Clough II stopped into Mrs. Ashlaw’s classroom recently with a special gift.

“I walked into my office in the morning and discovered the present with a note telling me to deliver it to Mrs. Ashlaw’s class,” he said.

When Clough showed up with the gift, student Simon Murray said “I got really happy and excited.” They opened the gift to find it was an Elf on the Shelf.

After reading the story, the students named their elf Max. Max brought with him a Christmas tree, stockings, and cookies for the students to enjoy.

“Max does magic,” said Robbie Wagner.

The Elf on the Shelf is a recent holiday phenomenon based on a book by the same name. According to the story, from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, a scout elf watches over the children and then at night when everyone is asleep, travels back to the North Pole and reports the children’s behavior to Santa.

Each day, the scout elf flies back from the North Pole and hides in a daily game of hide and seek. The elf earns its magic when the children name it, but risks losing the magic if anyone touches it.

“It’s all good fun. The elf is a constant reminder for the students that they need to work hard and be on their best behavior,” said Mrs. Ashlaw.