PEORIA, Ill. – Students and teachers at Northmoor Primary School came to school on Friday in their pajamas to honor the memory and legacy of a former student.
It was part of the school’s 20th Cuddle Compassion Day at the school, in honor of Aaron Hunter. Hunter was a kindergarten student at Northmoor, who passed away in 2004 from the rare cancer Neuroblastoma.
Hunter’s mother, Marilyn Mowder, says he was very resilient while battling the disease.
“He was always happy, always smiling, having a good time, a jokester, always a jokester, Mowder said. “He loved superheroes, and he didn’t think that just Superman and Batman were superheroes, he thought everybody who did something good was a superhero.”
Mowder says Hunter was always in pajamas, and loved to read, which is also a part of Cuddle Compassion Day with students setting aside time to read books.
Mowder wore a Superman onesie pajama set to the school, and spoke at an assembly to honor Hunter. At the assembly, donations from students and their families were also collected and given to Saint Jude, with an average donation of around $500 each year.
Mowder says the day is bittersweet, but also inspirational because it keeps the memory of Hunter alive.
“Today, all these kinds never knew Aaron. He wasn’t at this school when these kids were here. So these are all fresh faces who never ever got to meet him personally,” Mowder said. “But because of his pictures that are outside the library, his pictures here in the office, they ask ‘who is that, who is that,’ and they get a story.”
Northmoor Principal Kim Sack says the day can also be used to show students what compassion can be.
“There are students who are struggling with cancers or other battles, and it just helps us teach them empathy, to know that there are things that we need to all think about,” Sack said.
Sack adds that Cuddle Compassion Day is a part of Northmoor’s legacy and an important part of the school.
