Every year, Student Council works with The Salvation Army to raise money for Angel Tree. Angel Tree is a fundraiser that allows people in our community to help provide gifts to families in need during the holidays. By bringing in Angel Tree tags and donation buckets, Student Council allows students and staff around the school to participate in the fundraiser. 

   “When we give tags to each PTE class, we do not expect them to feel obligated to participate.  It is an opportunity for teachers and students to have conversations about the purpose behind Angel Tree, which is to provide for families in our community that are in need,” Mrs. Dawn Combis, Business, said. 

   Angel Tree is one of many foundations sponsored at the school that directly affects students and teachers. Though we may not realize, any donation to the foundation helps bring joy to families around us. At any moment, we can be helping a student, coworker or friend. 

   “The Angel Tree cause is near and dear to my heart because growing up, my family was in poverty. My mom had to use the Angel Tree a few times to provide Christmas for me as a child. These services that the Salvation Army offered really made a difference for my family. Every year since being in college, I have given back by participating in an Angel Tree. After graduating from college, the first school I worked at had an Angel Tree where we sponsored our students in the district that lived in extreme poverty. The Angel Tree grew even more personal for me at that moment, because I was buying gifts for my actual students that I had in class,” Mrs. Amanda Harle, Family & Consumer Sciences, said.

   Teachers around the school work to get their students involved with Angel Tree. By sharing the importance of giving and explaining why the foundation was started, students are more inclined to participate in the fundraiser. 

   “To get my class involved, I talk about the Angel Tree Program.  What it is, who benefits from it, why children are in the program to start with, why I am passionate about helping/taking angels. I then talk to the students about ways that they can be involved. I write on my front board what angels need to be taken/what toys still need to be bought and the kids volunteer from there,” Mrs. Katelin Ellis, Science,  said. 

   Students have taken it upon themselves to complete Angel Tree tags outside of their PTE classes. Many of them have set a goal for a number of children they would like to donate gifts to. Student Council encourages students to take part in Angel Tree as it directly affects our community. Here you can find the steps, shared by Mrs. Combis, to getting involved with Angel Tree at the school.

There are four ways to get involved in Angel Tree:

1. Choose to adopt the angels that were given to you during PtE and as a classroom purchase what is on either one or both of the tags and then send the items unwrapped with the tag attached to Mrs. Combis in C324.
2. Return the tags that you received and collect monetary donations as a classroom which will be collected throughout the month and then gifts will be purchased on your behalf by Student Council members.
3. Staff members can personally adopt Angels by filling out the Google Form that was sent via email from Mrs. Kveton.
4. Students can personally get involved by pulling a tag at the Angel Tree table during their lunch period throughout the month of November.

All donations to Angel Tree are accepted until December 13th. Students and staff can contact Mrs. Combis in C324 regarding any questions and concerns relating to Angel Tree.