 The Brainerd Riverside Elementary first grade students took a break from the books today to help a friend in need. The class held their very own balloon ceremony to honor the death of one of their classmates' father. Our Logan Yee has more. Elizabeth Foss is a member of Ms. Raimi's first grade class at Riverside Elementary. She is known for lighting up the room when she walks through the door. She's just a happy girl all the time. But her light dim last week when her father died after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. To brighten her up again and give her support through this tough time, the first graders decided to write notes to her father Michael and send them to heaven. One of the questions that Elizabeth had was about heaven and how she was going to communicate with daddy when he was gone and what he told her was you can send me notes on balloons. You can tag things to a balloon and send it up to me and I'll get it. We're lifting up balloons and letting my dad have lots of fun with balloons and make him have a good time. But Elizabeth would never have to be apart from her father since she carries a piece of him with her wherever she goes. Tug deep inside the heart of her teddy bear are her father's ashes. Elizabeth got a vial that goes inside of a heart inside of a teddy bear that she can carry around with her. Through this tough time, Miss Ramey's first grade students were able to learn a deeper lesson this year that they will carry with them forever. A lesson of compassion. Kids were talking about their feelings and knowing that it's okay to be sad and how do we handle those certain situations and also remembering the good times and how to stay positive about it. In Brainerd, Logan Gaye Lakeland News. And the first graders enjoyed some fresh cookies after the balloon ceremony. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.