Iowa-Grant students send Joey Slaight support, love

Joey Slaight no longer walks the hall at Iowa-Grant Elementary School, but his classmates haven’t forgotten him.

Joey was shot by his mother, Morgan Slaight, in the town of Montfort earlier this year. Morgan Slaight, along with Joey’s 6-year-old brother, Jaxon, died that night.

Joey is making strides in his recovery at a hospital in Oklahoma, with support from friends and family, including his school family, Kristi Fitzsimons’ 2nd grade class.

Tuesday, they made cards and wrote well wishes for their old friend during class, remembering what they like most about Joey.

“He was funny, he told a lot of jokes,” remembers one little girl.

“Sometimes, if I brought my football, we’d play catch,” remembers a boy.

“Everyone loved him here,” Fitzsimons said. “He had a lot of personality, and he had a lot of friends.”

Classmates wrote that they hope Joey will stay strong and come back to visit. They also remembered Jaxon.

“I’m so sorry about your brother,” wrote one boy. “I bet you miss him very much. I wish you could get your brother back, and I wish you could get to come back.”

“Everybody in this community cares and thinks about him,” Fitzsimons said. “I don’t go one week without hearing his name.”

The students’ notes were placed in a jar to be sent to Oklahoma in the coming days, and Fitzsimons had her own wishes for her old student.

“I want him to be happy. I want him to know he’s loved, and I just want him to grow up and be a good boy,” she said. “Hang in there Joey – you’re doing a good job, and I hope this jar brings a smile to your face.”