NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
Notre Dame Academy hosted its annual Christmas market Tuesday, inviting kids from St. Louis School to pair up with Notre Dame students and shop for donated items to give as Christmas presents, with all proceeds going to the food bank.
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Students at Notre Dame Academy paired up with kids from St. Louis School on Tuesday to take them shopping at their school’s Christmas market and participate in holiday-themed activities.
Notre Dame teacher and school counsellor Kim Rae says each year they invite students from a Catholic elementary school to participate in the festivities.
The store’s items – houseware, toys, stuffed animals, puzzles, books, hats, jewelry and more – are donated by the Notre Dame Academy and sold for anywhere from 25 cents to $3, she said.
“You name is, we’ve got it. This year, our school community has been so generous. There’s so much stuff,” said Rae. “What’s really nice after is when St. Louis leaves if there’s anything left, the store is left open for the whole week and Notre Dame kids get to shop.”
St. Louis students are able to purchase an item for each member of their family and take it to get wrapped by a Grade 7 Notre Dame student, “so they can put them under their tree when they get home,” she added.
Each year proceeds are donated to a different local charity. This year, it’s the food bank, Rae said.
After the gift wrapping, they’re free to roam around the school and engage in various activities, including Christmas card making, drama with puppets, Christmas cooking making, face painting, karaoke and story time at the library.
There’s also free hot chocolate to help the kids keep warm and various games set up in the gym.
“It’s a huge community of assistance,” Rae said. “We don’t have a Christmas concert here and we just want to give back to the community. At Notre Dame, we’re all about service.”
Cyton Corsie, a Grade 8 student, assisted with a station at the store, where St. Louis kids could fish for gifts.
“The kids throw over a little hook, we hook on a toy and they bring it back up,” he explained. “We want to make it so the kids at St. Louis can buy things affordably to give presents to family and friends.”
Grade 7 student Paige Angstadt says the event fits with the festive season.
“Sometimes you don’t get much for Christmas, so it’s really kind and nice,” she said.
