Right: Stevie Wowianko and Lillyann Maciorowski listen as eighth-grader Emily Hazelton reads them a story.
Right: Stevie Wowianko and Lillyann Maciorowski listen as eighth-grader Emily Hazelton reads them a story. Credit: STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARIโ€”

Students at Florence Rideout Elementary School, accompanied by their favorite stuffed animals, had a teddy bear picnic on the lawn of the elementary school Tuesday.

They received a visit from Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative Middle School eighth-graders, who read them stories. Alice Bartoldus, the WLC Middle School counselor and adviser for the honor society, said the picnic has been a tradition for the last few years.

โ€œI think they like to visit their old school, inspire the younger students, and build community between the two schools โ€“ we are a small community, and many of them already know each other,โ€ Bartoldus said.