Students Spread Cheer With Pierce Downer Winter Wonderland Event

Downers Grove IL

14 December, 2021

7:42 PM

Description

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — More than 150 kids decorated candy cane cookies, made "reindeer food," sipped hot chocolate, nibbled baked treats and enjoyed other festive activities at a Winter Wonderland event led by Pierce Downer Elementary School student council members Saturday. The event, the first in-person student council fundraiser since coronavirus hit, raised more than $1,000 to provide local families with funds for food and gifts this holiday season. "It felt good" to see so many people come together at the school to support the event, said Lauren Minardi, who teaches fifth grade and helps run the student council at Pierce Downer. Minardi explained that the student council's annual bake sale was held virtually last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, with fewer coronavirus restrictions in place nationally, the student council was able to host an in-person event and decided to offer as much entertainment as possible in addition to the traditional bake sale. The 2021 Winter Wonderland event offered entertainment in the school's library and gym, along with some classrooms. Kids who arrived could pick up a "passport" for $10, which granted them access to half a dozen craft and food stations throughout the property. Kelly DeMarco, who also teaches fifth grade and advises the student council, said it was touching to see children in kindergarten and first grade being empowered when they were faced with the fact that it was up to them to choose which station to visit first. Other parents remarked that their children "don't normally wake up this early in a good mood on a Saturday,"Minardi told Patch. Minardi and DeMarco said the student council members also showed joy and pride in their roles throughout the event. "They really took ownership of it," Minardi said. "It was nice to do a student council event that felt more normal," she added. "It felt normal; it felt good."