On Wednesdays at E.G. King Elementary, the halls turn pink. Students wear pink shirts. Staff members pin on buttons. Notes of encouragement fill a special mailbox outside one classroom door. The weekly show of support is for special education teacher Holly Elliott, who is battling an aggressive form of breast cancer while continuing to teach her students each day.
Elliott is at school every day except Wednesdays, which are her chemotherapy treatment days. On those days, her three teacher aides — Tina Larsen, Amber Brewer and Rachel Jacobsen — take the lead in the classroom, ensuring students continue to receive the care and consistency they rely on.
The support stretches far beyond one classroom. Principal Johnson, office staff, teachers and custodians have all found ways to rally around Elliott and her family. A special mailbox outside her classroom collects handwritten notes from students. One sixth-grade student, Grace, had a custom shirt made and wears it proudly in honor of her teacher.
“Every time I read the letter you gave to me again, I get this feeling that is so great it’s indescribable,” Grace, a student of Elliott’s wrote.
“It makes me have more confidence in myself. Your words are so inspiring and empowering. You inspire me so much. You should know that everyone at the school loves you.”
Another card placed in Elliott’s mailbox reads simply, “Her fight is my fight.”
Elliott and her husband are raising four children — two boys and 1-year-old twin girls — and are supported by family members who help care for the twins during treatment days. Throughout this challenge, the E.G. King Elementary community continues to demonstrate what it means to show up for one another.
On Wednesdays, the school wears pink. Every day, they wear compassion.
