A Community Club Christmas

On December 9th the Kenmore West Community Club hosted their annual Christmas party for families in the Kenton area! For weeks leading up to the event, students involved stayed after school wrapping gift donations, setting up games, preparing prizes, and decorating the school. The club, mainly run by Ms. Reidell-Macza and Mrs. White has been putting this party together for many years to help students who may not get a typical Christmas experience. The student participants say that their favorite part of the event is seeing the looks of excitement and cheer on the kids' faces throughout the day!

The day of the party usually starts with all of the volunteers arriving at school around 9 a.m. to complete last-minute decorating and set up before the families begin to arrive at about 11! Then the families with kids ranging from ages 3 to 12 are led through the hallway where they can pick out a pair of hand-knitted gloves off the “mitten tree” before being escorted the cafeteria. As the kids file in, the Ken West students are already set up at their assigned craft station tables lining the sides of the east cafeteria. On the other side is pizza, drinks, and a few other provided snacks for the families. Then the families are sent into the gym to play games for a while before going into the auditorium for a Christmas Sing-Along and dance party. There, they are usually joined by Mrs. Leary and the ‘Chamber Choir’ who lead the carols! And finally, after a long day of holiday festivities, the kids are not only paid a visit from Santa Claus but are given large bags of gifts carefully picked out by the club members just days before!

Overall, the clubs’ great planning skills and experience gained over past years has allowed this day to be really special to so many people and the students and teachers involved can't wait to continue to create more magical holiday seasons for many more young children. “I love watching the kids sing along and smile and their faces light up. It makes me happy, it’s a core memory” says Junior Evengelina Greenwood when being asked how she felt about the party this year. The Christmas party has created special memories for everyone regardless of their role. From children attending to people at the sign-in table, Christmas magic is in the air.

“It was wonderful. It was just so nice and I think all of the kids had such a great time” -Mrs. White

“I think this was the best year yet.” -Sami Padilla 

“I had so much fun. It was so great for everybody. So joyous.” -Mia Winkler

“I think it’s a great opportunity for students and it brings about the holiday season and holiday cheer!” -Mrs. Leary