Take note: Giant pencils are back

Ledyard - Well, someone got the point.

The oversized pencils stolen from the sign outside Gales Ferry and Juliet Long schools were returned earlier this week, giving elementary and middle school students in Gales Ferry, their teachers and parents, an extra reason to be thankful.

"I assume it was a prank, but somebody rethought the nature of how serious this was," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner.

Graner said an adult returned the pencils to the school's maintenance staff earlier this week, though he was unsure of other specific details.

The pencils were donated earlier this year by PTO groups at the two schools, located on Route 12 in Gales Ferry. A town councilor, Linda Davis, had offered a $100 reward for information leading to the pencils' return.

Graner said the 4-foot-long pencils will be reattached to the sign in a much more secure manner.

"The pencils were originally hanging from two hooks like a hanger, literally, in a closet," Graner said. "One of the conclusions we drew is we're going to mount the pencils from the sign, using brackets and whatever, to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

- Matt Collette