MVHS Students Bring Holiday Cheer To Inner City Kids

By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA

Moapa Valley Progress

Moapa Valley High School (MVHS) Student Council delivered gifts, music, and plenty of Christmas spirit to needy schoolchildren on Thursday, December 20. Twenty-seven MVHS Student Council members and twenty Pirate Jazz Band instrumentalists visited Bruner Elementary School in North Las Vegas to spread some good cheer.

Each Pirate student was paired with one to two children at the school. They spent time getting to know each of them, presenting them with a stocking full of toys, art supplies, a hat, and gloves. The attention and gifts came as a complete surprise to the younger children.

“I walked over to them with the stockings and their first question was, ‘Wait, these are for us?’” said Student Body President Gannon Hanevold. “It was eye-opening to see that these simple toys could be life-changing for them.”

This Pirate tradition was the brainchild of Donna Swanson-Forrester, who communicates annually with CCSD to pick a school in need of financial assistance and Christmas cheer. Forrester explained that MVHS students aren’t normally exposed to the harshness of poverty and homelessness that exists outside of Moapa Valley.

“For my students, it’s an eye-opener,” said Forrester, “but it’s also a very large bonding experience. They get really close to their kids. And the discussion we had afterward was phenomenal because they had all been touched. It’s not only us helping them; they help us, too. That’s what it’s about.”
Student Council (StuCo) member Abby Rose commented that her assigned child told her, “Someday, I want to do this, just like you guys are doing!”

“It was so cool to see that he wanted to help other people,” said Rose. “It wasn’t just about the toys; it was about us being able to connect. It was about being able to make a difference.”

The MVHS Jazz Band also performed a variety of upbeat Christmas songs. Band teacher Kim Delgadillo announced each song before it was played, which was met with excitement and cheers. “Feliz Navidad” earned the loudest praise as the kids clapped and sang along. Delgadillo also highlighted each instrument group between songs so the kids could experience the sounds separately.

A teacher who talked with Hanevold said she was picked out for these types of programs when she was young and those acts of service had stuck with her throughout her life. She still has some of the toys she received, and she remembers the people who gave them to her.

“We don’t even realize the impression we’re making on these kids,” said Hanevold. “I just hope we were able to inspire them a little bit.”