A Heartfelt Classroom Activity
Recently, elementary school teacher Sydney Natysin asked each of her students to draw a heart. She handed them a blank sheet of paper and a black marker, but didn’t reveal why.
"I didn’t tell them what it was for," Natysin, 24, from Northern Virginia, exclusively told PEOPLE. "Instead, I just said it was a surprise."
A Creative and Meaningful Gift
Later, Natysin compiled all the hearts into a single image and uploaded it to an app on her Cricut machine, which printed a heat-transfer vinyl design. She then transferred the design onto a sweatshirt, creating a unique keepsake.
"I also put the school year on the sleeve to remind me that these were the hearts from my first year of teaching," she added.
This thoughtful gesture turned a simple classroom activity into a heartwarming Valentine's Day surprise, making a lasting memory for both the teacher and her students.