Despite whatever challenges they may be facing themselves this holiday season, the students at Kent-Meridian High will be making sure more than 100 less fortunate elementary school students in the Kent School District will have something to open Christmas morning.
Through a giving tree sponsored by the school’s DECA class, Kent-Meridian students and staff have bought gifts for 113 kids at six of the elementary schools that feed into K-M.
“It’s just a good feeling knowing we were able to provide someone with a gift,” said DECA president Joanna Pham, a senior. “It’s for a good cause.”
This is the fourth year the K-M club has taken part in the event. The success has grown through the years as well as this is the largest number of kids the group has taken on.
According to DECA club advisor and marketing teacher Megan McGrath Morgan, when she took over the program two years ago, the previous group had helped 60 students and Morgan set the goal at 100.
“I said, ‘We can do better,” she said, adding “The kids have done a really great job.”
Family advocates at Kent Elementary, East Hill Elementary, Daniel Elementary, Millennium Elementary and Scenic Hill Elementary all provided names of students at their schools who were among the neediest, including what they wanted for Christmas. Numbers were up this year due to the recession gripping the nation, Morgan believes.
“It hits those hardest who have the least,” Morgan said.
The DECA club officers, including Pham, Vice President Susane Huong, Secretary/Treasurer Amrik Singh and Communications Director David Watson, created ornaments with each student’s name and their gift and placed them on a tree, which was displayed in the cafeteria during the school’s lunch periods.
Students at the high school selected ornaments from the tree and bought gifts for the students named on them. Some came back for multiple ornaments. Teachers and staff also contributed to the drive, sometimes buying gifs themselves and other times donating money for gifts.
Morgan said every student name submitted would receive a gift and for those who requested needs, such as shoes or coats, got not only the need, but a gift to open as well.
“Every kid will get something,” said Huong, a junior.
Huong also said buying the kids new toys that they requested also shows that someone cares.
“It just shows someone put thought into getting a gift,” she said.
Though they were pleased with the rows of Barbies, Transformers, Bakugon and other toys that arrived, Singh said he wished they could do more.
“I still know there’s lots of people you can help but don’t really have the chance to help,” he said.
Morgan and the students were also proud about what the giving tree said about their school, which in recent years has strived to overcome a reputation. K-M also has many students of its own in need, some of whom even took names and donated presents, Morgan and Pham both said, to prevent other kids from going without Christmas.
“The giving tree is a good way to show people in the community the way K-M really is,” Singh said.
Morgan said the tree itself was a good example of the spirit and attitude at the school.
“This just articulates what I already know about K-M and K-M kids,” Morgan said. “Kent-Meridian has heart.”
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