By all appearances, Blanchard Elementary skipped Thanksgiving and went right to Christmas.

Tiny blue snowflakes hang from the ceiling and wooden snowmen flank the entry way. One wall has been turned into a winter scene using paper cut-outs and a toy train track.

Nearby, a handwritten sign points the way to the Polar Express.

The floor-to-ceiling decorations do justice to Chris Van Allsburg's classic Christmas tale, "The Polar Express," which recently became a movie.

While Blanchard's decorations were inspired by the Polar Express story, the true intent behind them is improving children's education.

Teachers have incorporated the book into lesson plans for reading, writing, math and science. The theme has been carried into the art and music classes as well. Even the school's Christmas program next month has been designed around the Polar Express theme.

"We want school to be fun. We want to celebrate, but it always come back to tie in with our purpose -- to educate kids to the best of our collective abilities," said Dr. Barbara Kohlfeld, principal at Blanchard.

Last week, all students and staff at the school watched the movie at a local theater as a reward for high scores on this year's state assessments. The school also turned the book into the inspiration behind a parent involvement activity.

Room 20 at Blanchard was turned into a special Polar Express room with cushy couches, hot cocoa and candy canes. There, parents attended a special pajama party for each class and read the book to students.

Blanchard's literacy coach, Theresa Burke, oversaw the parties and spoke with parents about reading with their children.

"We want to focus on how importance it is to read aloud to children," Burke said. "We came up with this idea and really ran with it."

The school is also incorporating the Polar Express theme into a special schoolwide test similar to the Missouri Assessment Program state tests given to third- and fourth-grade students each spring.

"This helps us build up to the MAP," said Burke. "By the time students get to third and fourth grade, they'll know what the MAP is and they'll be excited about it."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128