"It was an idea that Michelle (Gabriele, St. Peter H.S.A. co-President) and I thought of.  We decided to this as part of our students' community service this year.  We wanted to give back to the community at a special time of the year.  We thought it would show the students here how important this time of year is and the gift of giving," explains Miss Halgash.

"Each class had a huge response for the families.  It’s nice to see our St. Peter’s family pull together to make another family’s Christmas a joyous one!"

The gift giving project was part of a larger parish initiative to bring Christmas joy to several of the over 200 Niagara County families in need and registered with either Mt. St. Mary's Hospital or Heart and Soul Soup Kitchen. Barb Malinowski, St. Peter's parish nursing coordinator led the effort for the parish, and assisted the school in finding the families to "adopt".  Mrs. Malinowski expressed her gratitude as well to all the families who donated to this cause, noting that it was "wonderful" to see the school's children excited about helping other children, many the same age, whose requests were not an X-Box 360 or a Wii, but warm clothes and other essentials often taken for granted.

For the students, the "wrap party" was more than just an opportunity to take a break from regular studies.  Throughout the cafeteria, there were Middle School students busy assisting younger students, like the Pre-K who stuffed all the stockings to be donated, or the 1st grade, for whom the art of gift wrapping is a skill yet to be mastered. There was a lot of determination put into how to best wrap the gifts, that ranged from small boxes to more complex wrapping challenges, like frying pans or stuffed animals.

First grader Justin Schultz understood the purpose of this activity. "I liked doing this for other people, because if they're poor, they can't buy a lot."  His classmate, Nadia Henwood, concurred that the experience, "felt good."

Seventh grader Emily Potenza found it "cool and fun."  Said her classmate, MacKenzie Penque, "It's fun to know that people are going to have a nice Christmas."  Danielle Rosini enjoyed the chance to work with the younger students.  "It was fun teaching the little ones to wrap!" 

Middle School Science teacher Lisa Drennan agreed that having the students gather to wrap the gifts they donated added to the experience of sharing. "I really liked that we wrapped it all together," said Ms. Drennan. "It wasn't just something they dropped off.  They saw work that went into it, the excitement of turning it into a gift."

While Mark Andrews, Grade 6, found it "exciting because we got to help other people," Kindergartener Sara just enjoyed wrapping the gifts and was "happy" to be able to help.

"It went really well today," said Miss Halgash, who also spent her afternoon wading through tape and gift wrap, helping wherever needed.  "The students really enjoyed wrapping the presents and felt good about making another families' Christmas special.  I think they have a better grasp of what gift giving is all about."