“Joy to the World” was spread by College Park first graders as they wrote letters to Marines serving our country. They brainstormed all the ways we are thankful for them and then made holiday cards. One of our students has a brother who is a Marine. His unit will be the recipient of these special greetings. In addition, the first graders used their bodies to spell out each letter in the word “THANKS!” on the gym floor. Pictures of the students were put together to emphasize the message. We all learned how kindness reaches all parts of the world during this time of year.

Greendale Middle School students adopted eleven families for Christmas this year, in conjunction with the Salvation Army. Each homeroom raised money to purchase gifts for the children and a meal for the family. On December 20, a committee of eighth graders wrapped the gifts and the students who did the shopping presented the gifts to the parents.

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GHS National Honor Society students brought Operation Christmas Child, a program that reaches out to children in poverty-stricken countries around the world, to the attention of the student body at GHS. The project entailed collecting supplies (anything from crayons to yo-yos to socks to toothpaste) and then packing them in shoe boxes to be delivered around the world as Christmas gifts.

Several NHS members spoke to GHS homerooms about how the project would impact the lives of many children and how it was an opportunity to provide these children with the only Christmas present that they may ever receive. All GHS students were encouraged to participate.

The response was overwhelming! Enough supplies were collected to fill 93 shoe boxes, and $140 was donated to help cover shipping and handling costs. Way to go GHS!

On December 5, the fourth graders from Canterbury Elementary met up with their pen pals from Clarke Street Elementary School. The day started off with a greeting by the Clarke Street staff. Following our welcoming, students worked on various activities. They made ornaments, magnets, played a basketball game, read stories and worked on math packets. After the morning activities, the students ate lunch in the cafeteria with their partners and participated in Activate America activities in the gym. The afternoon ended with bingo, a sing-a-long, story time, trivia and reflection. Students from both schools will meet up again in a few months.

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GHS’s National Art Honors Society (NAHS) is involved in a service activity, the After School Art Program. Members are working on art projects with elementary school students who participate in Bridge for Kids, the Greendale Park and Recreation Department’s after school program. The NAHS students teach the young students about an artist and then work together on a related art project. The After School Art Program is in its second year.

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