A trio of McLoughlin Middle School students quietly folded personalized baby blankets and placed them in a plastic bag.

They were careful with the tiny throws -- each not much bigger than a lunch tray -- even as they briefly pulled them out to show off the gentle colors, the soft backs.

Each square represented weeks of planning, cutting and sewing by students at the Pasco school. And the lessons they learned as a result extended beyond the classroom. The blankets were made for the Mid-Columbia and Central Washington March of Dimes to be used by premature babies.