Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2013, Page 66

Description:	Juniors Anna Weinberg anKathleen Moore prime awall during Habitat forHumanitys first build of theseason on Saturday,December 15. The clubhelped construct a houseone Saturday each month.PHOTO BY WALTER WHITEBlack Culture Clubmembers junior JimmyCross and senior AareoneMcCoy celebrate Kwanzaaduring SRT on December1 0. The club discussed thehistory of the holiday whileeating festive food. PHOTOBY LUCILLE POWERSFreshmen Alayna Fenderand Emily Williams singChristmas carols with fellowYoung Life members duringa meeting on December10. The gathering includedholiday-themed contestsand religious discussions.PHOTO BY CHRISTINA ELLIOTT IThis December, the BloomingtonSouth Student Council orchestratedChristmas Angel tree, which collectedfunds from Bloomington South cluband classes to purchase gifts fcchildren in neecCHRISTMAS ANGELFrom December 2-15, BloomingtonSouth students and teachersengaged in a mad dash to raisefunds for the community-wide giftgiving program Christmas AngelTree. Previously known as HolidayChild, the program served as studentcouncils method of spreadingholiday cheer.In the programs Holiday Childdays, 2009-2010 to be specific,students were given a mere twoweeks to raise $8000. This provedto be a herculean task, and, whilethe student body managed to raisethe funds in time, there waswidespread agreement that acomplete restructure of the programwas in order. In the subsequentyears, the student council switched toChristmas Angel Tree, a programsimilar to Holiday Child organizedthrough the Salvation Army.In 2012, the student bodyraised $6400, enough to sponsormore than 1 15 kids. Gifts includedten bicycles, When kids ask for abike, no matter what, we get thebike, because its promotingphysical fitness, and it might be ameans of transportation to and fromschool, said president of studentcouncil and senior Hannah Alani.Freshman William Hopkinsagreed with Alani about theimportance of bicycles and notedother frequent gifts, including iPodsand Power Rangers memorabilia.He enjoyed the program: It helpedout a lot of kids who werent asfortunate as others, he said.As a freshman, the 201 2 holidayseason was Hopkins first interactionwith Christmas Angel Tree, and hewas eager for the coming years.Im really looking forward to beinginvolved again if Im on studentcouncil next year, he said.For several years, the Southstudent council and student bodystrove to support community childrenand families during the holidayseason through Christmas AngelTree. They found the experienceboth rewarding and eye-opening.For Hopkins specifically, theprogram served as a reminder of hisgood fortune and of the little thingswe can do to help.-AUSTIN REILLY
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8618
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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