NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Christmas came 6 days early for students at North Little Rock school.
Meadow Park Elementary is a Title 1 school, so staff and faculty members make sure no one goes without a new Christmas present.
“I felt pretty excited,” 3rd grader Mckenzie Barbee said.
The school day started out with singing and a Christmas program, but what came next was extra special.
“We felt like our kids personally get Christmas, but we were worried our kids at school would not,” literacy coach Ashley Eaton said.
For the last five years, Eaton and her coworkers have made sure every child gets a special surprise.
“When I taught first-grade we did a Polar Express and we provided pajamas for kindergarten and first grade, and we decided we just wanted it bigger after that one year,” Eaton said.
Santa and his volunteer elves gave every child a present.
“A diary and I got a pen, a fluffy pen and a blanket,” Barbee said.
Over 500 kids received a blanket, book, and toy.
“Not all of our kids will get Christmas and so we wanted them to be able to experience Christmas and we wanted them to have something to take home,” Eaton said.
Faculty and staff members along with community members raised $5,000 to make this happen.
“My church donated the blankets and then school board members, administrators, teachers, businesses have all just given money,” Eaton said.
Eaton said this is what the holidays are about.
“These kids don’t get a lot and so for them to have the excitement of the gifts, is just what Christmas is about,” Eaton said.
To see the smiles on the children’s faces as they walk back to class, a gift in hand, makes it all worth it.
“Thank you to the community and the teachers and my administration for letting me dream big,” Eaton said.
The school plans to do this all again next year and they’ll start taking donations in November.
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