Lost and Found at Elm Street School

A story about responsibility, labels and caring for belongings.

The lost property box at Elm Street School was so full that it would not close. It held jumpers, hats, water bottles, lunch boxes and a single sock. Nobody ever seemed to collect anything from it.

One Monday, Mr Hall, the teacher, said, “This box is a problem. Who can help me sort it out?” Five children put up their hands, including Nia, who had lost her own favourite blue hat the week before.

They tipped everything onto a big table. “Look for names,” said Mr Hall. Nia held up a jumper. Inside the collar, in black pen, was the name “Ben Wu.” She laughed. “I know Ben! He is in Grade Two.”

They found six names that way. They made a list on the board, and wrote down which class each child was in. Then, they carried each item to the right classroom, and handed it to the right child with a smile.

But many things had no names at all. There were thirteen water bottles, nine hats, and four pairs of mittens. “How will we find their owners?” asked Nia. Mr Hall thought. “We could hold a Lost and Found Day,” he said.

They laid every item out on tables in the hall, and invited the whole school to come and look. Children rushed in, calling, “That is my hat!” “I have been looking for that bottle!” Within an hour, most of the table was empty.

The children who had no names on their things looked a little embarrassed. “Next time,” said Mr Hall, “let us put a name on everything.” The school bought a roll of sticky labels, and every child wrote their name on each item.

Nia found her blue hat at last, at the very bottom of the pile. She put a label inside it. “Nia Brown, Grade Three,” she wrote. The box in the corner was nearly empty, and it closed with a satisfying click.

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