Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Students in Melanie Niewenhuis’s kindergarten class at Lake Linden-Hubbell Elementary wore “crazy socks” Thursday to help raise awareness of Down syndrome. Student Peyton Richmond, wearing glasses, at right, has Down syndrome.

LAKE LINDEN — Students in Melanie Niewenhuis’s kindergarten class at Lake Linden-Hubbell Elementary wore “crazy socks” Thursday to help raise awareness of Down syndrome. Student Peyton Richmond has Down syndrome; his mother, who suggested the activity, spoke to the children earlier Thursday morning. The syndrome is caused by having three copies of the 21st chromosome; because of this, Down Syndrome Day is observed around the world on March 21.

Richmond’s mother bought socks for the class and let the students pick them out. The sock day was added to Lake Linden’s Reading monthly calendar when Richmond was in preschool, Niewenhuis said.

The fun mismatched socks are chosen because they look like chromosomes, Richmond’s mother said. They also attract people’s attention and serve as a conversation starter, she said.

“You can tell them that it’s World (Down Syndrome) Day and tell them about how amazing those with Down syndrome are and all the things they are capable of,” she said in a message to the Gazette.

Students in the class said they’d learned about Richmond’s extra chromosome and his difficulty talking, and how they were helping Richmond to talk better.

“Being around the rest of the students has been really good for him, and really good for them as well,” Niewenhuis said. “They’ve just learned so much compassion.”