Christmas season in full swing at Webster Niblock

By Tim Kalinowski on December 1, 2017.

tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal

Webster Niblock School is in the Christmas spirit with a couple of community efforts designed to help those in need this holiday season.

Not only is the school hosting its annual Grade 1 Canadian Tire money drive, it is also trying to help the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter and Medicine Hat and District Food Bank by sponsoring a Giving Tree.

“The Giving Tree was brought up in our WE Club,” says vice-principal Rachelle Ulmer. “With this Giving Tree we challenged our students to decorate it with new toques, mitts and scarves for the Women’s Shelter, and to fill underneath with donations to the Food Bank.”

Ulmer says for her staff, students and parents the Christmas spirit starts with thinking of others who may need support during this Christmas season.

“I think it is important for them to recognize other people that need things and they can give back in certain ways,” says Ulmer. “And show our support to our community.”

It’s the same message Grade 1 teacher Danielle Beach has been telling her students for the past 19 years she has organized the school’s Canadian Tire money Christmas drive.

“It was a way of giving back,” says Beach. “We as a class go and purchase gifts for the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund, and we have adopted families in the past from our school as well, and bought gifts for the family members.”

Last year the drive reached a high water mark of about $2,000 collected, but Beach says there was a worrying drop in the percentage of that collected in Canadian Tire money. Since Canadian Tire doubles all Canadian Tire dollars brought in for the drive and translates it directly into cash to be spent in the local store, Beach hopes those in the community without the paper bills anymore will still consider donating their Canadian Tire money electronically.

“We do have cards now that you can transfer your Canadian Tire money to another card,” she confirms.

Beach says her students are excited to do their part to help out those in need in Medicine Hat again this year.

“Are you guys excited to go to Canadian tire to help buy Christmas gifts for people in the community?” Beach shouts out to her class. A resounding “Yes” answers her from all the little voices spread about.

For more information on the Webster Niblock Giving Tree, or to donate to the school’s Grade 1 Canadian Tire money Christmas drive, call 403-527-4541 or stop by the school’s office. The deadline for the Canadian Tire money drive is Dec. 6 and the Giving Tree Dec. 20.

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