Kids' artwork stolen: Useless to thief, important to school

DAVIS, Calif. - A thief took off with artwork made by schoolkids in Northern California, leaving them puzzled who would steal the work that appears worthless to the thief, but is valuable for a school fundraiser.

Student art projects that were to be auctioned off during the St. James School's annual fundraiser were dropped off at Kwan's Framing, ready for their final touch, according to CBS Sacramento.

But this weekend, the pieces disappeared.

"Kwan had been broken into," said Cathy Pickel-Hicks, a mother of one student who is supervising the 5th-graders' project.

"It's not going to mean anything to them(the thief), but it means something to the people who had it there," Pickel-Hicks told the station.

Pickel-Hicks created a 30-by-40 canvas out of photos from her students' drawings of personalized tree houses.

The other piece stolen from Kwan's was an original art project put together by second graders at the Davis, Calif. school.

Pickel-Hicks says the pieces usually go for about 2-3 thousand dollars at the school's auction - money that helps keep them afloat.

"The salaries, school supplies, maintenance, whatever is needed to run St. James," Pickel-Hicks told CBS Sacramento.

The school auction will still be held on Dec. 6, and the two classes will be scrambling to put together something at the last minute.

"It was an awesome project," Pickel-Hicks said.