Central Student Council wants to give back with winter clothing tree
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The holiday season is again upon us, and students at Central—led by the student council— are setting the tone for the season of giving with their inaugural winter clothing tree.
The event, which kicks off Dec. 13 and runs until Dec. 21, is both an opportunity to promote the generosity of the Christmas spirit and a class competition between grades 7-12, as they race to fill class trees with winter clothing items.
The winning class will be first in the lunch line on Dec. 22, but the real winners of the idea are the recipients of the donations: members of the community feeling the financial pinch and stress that comes along with the cheer.
“It promotes giving to those in need and getting students involved in that process. We want this to be a priority of students in our school to pay it forward to those in need,” student council members said.
The motivation behind the idea was a student council that wanted to do something different. Having put on numerous food drives in the past, they felt it was time for something new. It’s a new way to give back, but also give something that was needed as the weather turns cold and snowy.
“Winter clothing is a need among many students in our community as well as adults,” members of the council said.
This need drove the council to create a brand new Christmas idea, decorating Christmas trees with articles of clothing, ranging from hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, ear muffs, snow pants, coats, boots and other winter time essentials that are either new or lightly used. Each item counts toward the class point total, but the end result will also “bring joy to families all around the community.”
But it’s not just the students who can bring clothing items to hang from the tree, but also community members willing to support the clothing drive. All people have to do is give their donations to students who will add them to the trees, or they can simply drop the items off personally in the entrance foyer during school hours and designate which class tree they want the items hung on.
“It will help the people in need in our community and surrounding areas. It’s important for children to be able to go out and play in the winter fun with the appropriate clothing, to keep them safe and warm,” council members said.
With this being the first year, there is hope the turnout will make the event successful enough to do again next year.
“We hope it teaches kids to learn how to give back to those not as fortunate as others. The message we are trying to get out is, during the giving season, not everyone is fortunate enough to have common necessities like winter apparel,” said student council advisor Allison Burkle.
