SUQUAMISH — There’s nothing wrong with second place. And good sportsmanship and fair play are more important than a trophy.

Those are two of the lessons that Suquamish Elementary School fifth-graders took away from the Seahawks’ loss in the Super Bowl. And they shared the lessons they learned in a letter from their teacher, Kristy Dressler, to Coach Pete Carroll and the team.

Dressler’s letter:

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Dear Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks,

Like thousands of other fans, I was saddened by the Super Bowl loss last Sunday. I won’t deny that. My sadness was temporary, however, as I soon began to realize how many important life lessons could be taught and learned from that one game. As a school teacher, I saw opportunity.

On Monday morning, just as we expected, students came to school saying things like “those refs were terrible” and “the Patriots are cheaters.” Their loyalty to the Seahawks was evident; however, we needed to clear up some misconceptions. My teaching partner and I opened up a discussion with our fifth-graders about the game. We used the Super Bowl as a gateway to talk about some essential ideas.  We started by talking about the importance of accepting a loss as a loss and not blaming others for it. In fact, though it is difficult to do, sometimes we need to admit that the other team played well!

We thought you may want to know about the things that our students came away with. The following list includes the other ideas that our students came up with as important life lessons they learned from The Big Game:

— No person should ever be defined by a single moment in time

— There is nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with second place

— Focus on the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives

— Teamwork is the essence to success

— Never give up — put your best effort forward and your hard work will pay off

— Don’t ever stop believing

— Always have good sportsmanship

— Create a good reputation for yourself and for your team

— Persevere through hard times

— Build each other up and support one another because you get farther that way

So thank you. Thank you for your hard work, for your dedication and commitment to the game and to your fans. Thank you for making our Sundays something to look forward to. Thank you for being role models. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. Thank you for taking us to the Super Bowl two years in a row, and for the future games you will play in.

You have given our school, our community, and the greater Seattle area something to come together about. We are Hawks’ fans — The 12’s. We parade around in blue and green and our houses and yards are adorned with flags. We have heart. We are proud.

I hope you are able to push aside any negative publicity and concentrate on the fact that there are still fans everywhere celebrating your success. WE’RE STILL IN!

Looking forward to next season already.

Sincerely,

Kristy Dressler, Misty Hernandez, and our fifth-graders at Suquamish Elementary