Santa Shop encourages ‘Season of Giving’ at Quail Run Elementary
For more than a decade, students at Quail Run Elementary School have been enjoying Christmas a little more by experiencing first-hand the “Season of Giving.” With a little help from the PTO and parent volunteers, students were able to purchase their own gifts to give to family and friends by shopping in the week-long Santa Shop that is set up in a classroom at the school.
Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day from Dec. 5-8, the Santa Shop was open for parents to come in and buy things with their children in the morning before school. During the school day, the classes had a set schedule of when each grade could go to the shop, according to Tricia Nicolosi, Parent Teacher Organization president. All of the classes were able to preview the items in the shop on Monday, just to see what was available. Gifts ranged in price from $1 to $10.
“Nothing is over $10, and there’s an exclusive $1 table, so it’s not too expensive,” Nicolosi said. “There are some kids that come in with a lot of money, and then there are some kids that come in with only one or two dollars. They are not picky shoppers … they want to get everything. They want to get their parents everything. They want to rack up.”
Jewelry, dog toys, clipboards, baking items, fidget spinners, mood rings, licensed college and NFL items, tape measures, tumblers, cups, keychains, stuffed animals and back scratchers are just a few of the items that could be purchased at the store, and each item that is purchased is wrapped by a volunteer and labeled for the child to take home to parents as a surprise Christmas present.
Although students shop for their parents, siblings, friends, grandparents and other family members, Nicolosi said a lot of times they also get things for themselves because “it’s hard for them resist.”
PTO Vice President Erica Kordsmeier said the Santa Shop is generally crazy in the mornings with both students and parents coming into the shop, but she said the kids just love it and get so excited when they visit the shop.
“It gives the kids a chance to shop and surprise their family members,” said Elizabeth Lang, a parent volunteer. “They enjoy shopping for their family.”
And some of the students visit the shop daily. Third-grader Korbyn Johnson, 8, came into the shop looking for something for herself. She said she had already been in the shop the day before and had purchased gifts for her family, so she wanted to come back to purchase what she wanted for herself.
“I may come back tomorrow,” she mused.
Another third-grader, Kyndall Walker, 8, said she purchased a bone for her dog Rocky, and she, too, came into the shop the previous day and purchased some gifts.
“I just love shopping,” she said.
“I got something for Mom and Dad, grabbed something for me, and I got something for my dog,” said third-grader Gauge Sheffield, 8, adding that he also got something for his sister.
Despite the class schedule during the day, the Santa Shop stayed busy. Some of the most popular items in the shop were the University of Georgia footballs, tumblers, stuffed animals, fidget spinners, and mood rings, according to Lisa Bowden, PTO member, who added that the lower priced items sold quickly.
“The mood rings….it seems like everyone is buying one,” she said.
Proceeds from the Santa Shop go to help the Accelerated Reader program at the school. The funds help pay for incentives for the reading program, prizes the students get when they accumulate a certain number of points for their reading. At the end of the year, if the students have met their reading goals, they have a Fun Day where they get to go to Rigby’s. Last year, the shop raised $4,500, according to Nicolosi.
“The Christmas season is all about giving to others and showing kindness,” Principal Cheryl A. Thomas said in a written statement. “Our PTO is an exemplary model of service, and they support our staff and students each day in the most positive manner. The Santa Shop is just one way our PTO positively impacts our school … I appreciate all of our parents who volunteer their time in the Santa Shop every December.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Santa Shop encourages ‘Season of Giving’ at Quail Run Elementary."