Lafayette student council members Christmas shop for kids in need
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Joshua Bass, 12, of Uniontown looks through a bin of DVDs as he and other Lafayette Middle School students spend part of their Sunday afternoon shopping for Christmas gifts for children who attached their wish lists to the Salvation Army Angel Tree located inside the Uniontown Wal-Mart.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Libby Bryner (kneeling), 14, a student at Lafayette Middle School, along with her classmates, look at DVD players as they shop for Christmas gifts for a child whose tag they chose from the Salvation Army Angel Tree in the Uniontown Wal-Mart.
Submitted Photo
Lafayette Middle School student council members pose in front of the Salvation Army Angel Tree in the Uniontown Wal-Mart with holiday gift items they purchased for children in need. Pictured are (first row, from left) Jersey Greer, Janessa Brown, Kiara Foster, Hailey Johnson; (second row) Queenation Jackson, Zoey Burnworth, Josh Odum, Josh Bass, Jaydis Kennedy; (thrid row) Josh Miller, Aleah Kegg, Liberty Bryner, Mariah Fitzapatrick, Omari Tunstell.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Students Mariah Fitzpatrick, Josh Odum and Joshua Bass, all from Layfayette Middle School in Uniontown, pick tags from the Salvation Army Angel Tree held by teacher Jonni George.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Lafayette Middle School teacher Jonni George teaches students to discuss money options while shopping at the Uniontown Wal-Mart. Several students went to the big-box store recently to buy gifts for children who had attached their Christmas wish list to the Salvation Army Angel tree located in the store.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Zoey Burnworth, 13, of Uniontown calculates how much money she has as she and other Lafayette Middle School students spend part of their Sunday afternoon shopping for Christmas gifts for other children who attached their wish list to the Salvation Army Angel tree located inside the Uniontown Wal-Mart.
While the hallmark of the holiday season for many kids is receiving presents, members of the Lafayette Middle School student council can find satisfaction this December in knowing they helped make someone else’s more enjoyable.
Throughout the school year, the students hold fundraisers to support their activities. But come each December, they use some of that money to help kids who may not receive gifts during the holidays.
As a community service project, the student council purchases gifts for children whose tags are displayed on the Salvation Army Angel Tree located inside the Uniontown Wal-Mart.
Lafayette seventh-grade language arts teacher Jonni George has served as student council sponsor for the past five years and, in that time, has turned the gift-giving activity into a tradition.
“When I bring it up to the kids, they get so excited to come and shop and make sure other kids have a Christmas,” said George. “I think it’s important for the kids to realize that not everyone has what they do.”
George and 14 students in grades 6-8, all clad in matching maroon Lafayette Middle School student council T-shirts, met on a recent Sunday afternoon to grab the last four remaining tags from the Angel Tree.
After George distributed the tags to groups of three and four students, the shoppers raced off into the aisles for a 30-minute spree.
George said the council typically buys gifts for seven to 10 kids each year, ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old. All four kids they shopped for this year were around the same ages as the students, she said.
“We try to go along with the requests on the tag,” said George, but students in the past have thought outside the box during shopping, she added.
“They’ve bought hats, gloves, blankets for these kids. Things that you may not think about that kids can use.”
George said the event is not only a community service, but a math lesson as well, as students have to keep track of their spending.
Each student contributes $10 of their own money. The amount is matched by money from the student council activities fund. The students then spend $40-60 on each child.
Eighth-grader Mariah Fitzpatrick said her group shopped for a 12-year-old boy.
“We tried to get kid everything on his list,” she said. “We like knowing that he’s able to get something now,” adding that they purchased movies and headphones.
Seventh-grader Zoey Burnworth participated in the shopping spree for a second time after serving on student council last year.
“I would like to help my school and thought this was a great idea,” Burnworth said. “I like knowing that that kid will be able to wake up to something, even though they thought they may not be able to.”
The Angel Tree program was created by The Salvation Army in 1979 to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time. An Angel Tree can be found near the customer service area of the Uniontown Wal-Mart each year during the holiday season.
“I stress with the kids that a lot of what we do is for the community,” George said. “They’re smart, they’re friendly, they care — and a lot of people don’t get to see that.
“They show a lot of maturity when they do this.”
The 16 students that comprise the student council were voted to the position by their homeroom peers.
The group holds a hoagie drive each fall and a car wash each spring, said George, in order to fund a year-end trip to PNC Park to watch the Pirates. Money left over from the field trip stays in the group fund for the following year’s activities, including the Angel Tree shopping event.
In the busy Wal-Mart, before they rush off with shopping carts in hand, George gives the students one last instruction: “Remember, be polite. It’s the holiday season.”