WHS has always taken pride in giving back during the holiday season, and this year is no different. Some of the old traditions continue, such as the Interact Club sponsoring the Angel Tree and Ms. Huckabee organizing a Secret Santa for teachers, and some new traditions are being started as well. 

One of the new traditions will be the “Winter Extravaganza.” Unfortunately, this year, because of weather, the annual Homecoming Bonfire was not able to take place. In order to still have something special for the high school and the community, the class of 2020 is sponsoring an event will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and will involve all of WISD. 

During the event, all students grades K-12 will be collecting blankets, socks, non-perishable foods and coats to donate to charities around the comminity. Elementaries will compete against each other and so will junior highs. At the high school, the competition will be between the different grade levels. A trophy will be awarded to each campus winner.

 The athletic department will be collecting toys.

Athletic Director Greg Reed said, “This will be our fourth year of our annual Athletic Department Toy Drive.”

The toys will be donated to Common Ground Ministries “to support our Waxahachie families,” Reed said.

All of the collected items will be loaded onto a school bus in a sort of “stuff the bus” event.

Principal Tonya Harris said, “The stuff the bus idea has been used by other districts when collecting school supplies.   With the needs of our students and families in mind, I opted for a new spin on this idea in an effort to meet the basic needs of those in our community by partnering with area community service organizations.”

This event will also feature choir, band, and drill team members as well as a bonfire and hot chocolate.

Another activity benefitting the students of WISD is the Interact Angel Tree. 

“The Angel Tree has become a holiday tradition at WHS,” Interact co-sponsor Chrisanna Melick said. “It’s wonderful seeing how generous all of our students are!”

WHS teachers are also on the receiving end this holiday season. CTE teacher Amber Huckabee organizes a Secret Santa event each year for the WHS staff. 

“I have always enjoyed the giving side of the holidays,” Huckabee said. “Secret Santa is a way for teachers and staff to bring joy to our campus and to get to know someone they may have not had the opportunity to before.  My hope is that it will help bring us closer on such a big campus and spark the joy of giving.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2019 print edition of  The Arrow.