Author teaches students about change during visit

Washougal — Author Gretchen McLellan helped Hathaway Elementary School kindergarten through second-grade students approach the issue of change during a visit last month. McLellan shared strategies for coping with loss and taught students about the concept of “bittersweet” by using an ice cream cone swirl, with one flavor representing exciting thoughts and the other as a stand-in for sad thoughts. She’s the author of the book “Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3,” which follows kids moving on at the end of the year knowing they won’t have their beloved teacher the following year. The visit was made possible thanks to a grant from the Washougal Schools Foundation.