Family and Consumer Science (FACS) teacher Athena Feenan had a unique request for her class Thursday: smash a flowerpot.

For the purpose of the lesson, the ceramic planter represents family and when families face challenges, they can break apart.

Feenan then asked her students to label the fragments with issues their family has experienced, such as death, divorce and illness. After that, she supplied the seventh graders with tape, to repair the flowerpot and illustrate that you can overcome and fix relationship problems. Finally, the students labeled the outside of the patched-up pot with ways a family can mend brokenness - through forgiveness, counseling and improved decision making. This demonstrated that a family may look different than it used to, and may never be perfect, but can be put back together.

Next week the class will plant flowers in the rebuilt containers and, due to their efforts, watch them bloom just like a relationship can with work.