School brings twelve days of Christmas to military family

FARMINGTON – A Mt. Blue Middle School teacher got a surprise when she reported to the office last week, expecting a staff meeting.

Niki Fulton-Greenlaw’s husband, Mike Greenlaw, had been overseas for months. A sergeant first class with the 619th Army Reserve Transportation Unit out of Auburn, Greenlaw is serving his second tour in Iraq. Having been in Iraq since August, and out of state training with his unit since March, Greenlaw has been able to only spend five days with his family since leaving nine months ago.

Unfortunately, Greenlaw was going to miss Christmas as well. For the staffers of Mt. Blue Regional School District, that was a call to action.

According to the staff, it started with students at the middle school signing cards for Greenlaw’s unit. Then teacher Danita Gilbert came up with the idea of doing something for Fulton-Greenlaw and her three-year-old son, Joshua.

“We wanted to let Niki, her husband and son know how much we appreciate their sacrifices as a military family,” Gilbert said. Her idea was to collect gifts for the family, allowing them to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas.

Gilbert noted that district employees had come up with similar ideas when now-director of Foster Regional Applied Technology Center Glenn Kapiloff deployed to Iraq with the Army Reserve 12th Battalion several years back.

Fulton-Greenlaw, who teaches at the middle school and lives in Farmington, discovered no meeting at the office, but instead found wrapped presents and smiling staff members.

“I am overwhelmed,” she said. “You have no idea how happy this will make Joshua. You even got gifts for the dogs!”

For the twelve days of Christmas, Fulton-Greenlaw and her son will each open one present.

“This is a great place to work,” said Fulton-Greenlaw. “My extended family at Mt. Blue Middle School have sure hit the core of my heart.”