Carly Risom
Reporter
Many children expect to receive presents every holiday season, while many will get none. Math teacher Wendy Guda will be collecting gifts until Dec. 18 in her classroom for unprivileged children in New York City.
Ms. Guda facilitates the accumulation of these presents by collecting the gifts from students in the high school. Students buy the presents, tag them according to appropriate age group and gender and bring them into to their respective math classes. “Each present purchased has to be between $7.50 and $10, in order to make the gifts comparable,” Ms. Guda said.
Ms. Guda works with other teachers from the math department to encourage their classes to bring in presents for the children and place them in her room until they are gathered on Dec. 18.
Math teacher Anthony Bloss feels that the gift drive is an important aspect of the school community. “I think it’s a great opportunity for our kids to give back to those less fortunate,” he said. Especially during the holiday season, students have an obligation to give back [to the community].”
The gifts are placed underneath a small Christmas tree in Ms. Guda’s room until they are collected. On Dec. 18, an order of nuns, known as the Fraternite Notre Dame, picks up the presents from the high school. The group then distributes the gifts to children in East Harlem on the days leading up to Christmas.
Senior Class President Will Hennessey, who will be participating in his third gift collection this winter, has given card games and a toy doll in the past. Will feels that benefiting others has given him a sense of accomplishment and joy. “When I’m taking a math test, and I look up and see the presents, it makes me feel so good inside,” he said.
Even though senior Sarah Luke only had Ms. Guda her sophomore year, she has brought in gifts the past three years for the gift collection. Among the numerous presents brought in, Sarah has purchased books, a Barbie doll, and a Hot Wheels toy truck in the past few years. “It’s a good activity because it allows me to easily contribute to the community,” Sarah said.
Senior McCabe Hemmers, who contributed an xBox video game his freshman year, said, “I think it brings out the Christmas spirit in all of us. We get to be Santa for a day.”
For Ms. Guda, the holiday spirit is especially evident during the gift distribution. “These kids line up around the block to get this one present from Santa,” she said. “For a lot of them, it’s all they’re going to get.”
