by Abby Kromme

As the holidays are quickly approaching, more and more parents are scrambling to find the perfect gifts for their children to unwrap on Christmas morning. At the same time, many parents are struggling to scrape together enough money just to provide their kids with a roof over their heads and food on the dinner table. It is easy to forget those who are less fortunate as you get wrapped up in the joyous holiday season; which is why the Oak Hills junior class officers are hosting a school wide toy drive for the second year in a row.

Last year, the group brainstormed ways they could give back to the community. Since most things they are in charge of only affect the school, they wanted to do something that would benefit people in need. They brewed up a plan to start a school wide toy drive, and executed it successfully. However, the group was disappointed with their results. While the junior co-presidents were happy to have collected any presents at all, they felt that the drive did not go far enough. The officers made some improvements this year, and now the collections are coming in hot! With daily announcements that started well before the collections began, dozens of flyers, and the help of social media, the toy drive has been prosperous. With two days left for the drive, the officers believe the donations are double of what the were last year. Junior class president Dylan Roach said, “We’re happy with this year’s drive, but we still want to make it bigger and better next year. We plan to extend it to the middle schools next year, and potentially even the elementary schools.”

The junior class officers discussed doing something that is “bigger than themselves” and they feel that this is their way to leave their legacy at Oak Hills. Since next year is their last chance to implement the toy drive at the high school, the group plans to involve the younger classes’ governments. Hopefully this event makes a few smiles bigger and some hearts warmer this Christmas, and for many Christmas’ to come!