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WCCUSD Kindergarteners Receive Early Christmas Surprise
Purchasing Supervisor Mary Kitchen originated the program in 1998 as a way for district employees to give back to the community by supplying presents to children attending school in Richmond’s “Iron Triangle.”
“It’s awesome,” Kitchen said. “It’s such a heart-warming and awesome thing to do, because the children are so happy to see Santa.”
The “Iron Triangle” is created by three sets of railroad tracks in central Richmond and has historically been thought of as the heart of Richmond's African-American community.
Each year, Kitchen notifies one of fourteen elementary schools (e.g., Chavez, Coronado, Dover, Downer, Ford, Grant, King, Lincoln, Nystrom, Peres, Stege, Verde, Washington, or Wilson Elementary Schools) that WCCUSD employees have adopted the kindergarteners through the Secret Santa program.
This year, 109 children in Nystrom Elementary’s four kindergarten classes were selected.
With the help of the teachers, the students create paper ornaments that are delivered to the district’s administration building.
The ornaments are subsequently stapled to a tree on the second floor, and employees then select one or two students to buy presents for.
On the last day before Christmas vacation, district employees in the form of Santa and his elves deliver the presents to the school using the children’s ornaments as gift tags.
Warehouse Supervisor Jim Gant, who has played the role of Santa for some time now, according to Kitchen, visits the classrooms, calling each kindergartener up to receive their gift and to take a picture with him.
“I love making the kids happy,” Gant said. “It feels good.”
Kitchen said this is the second time that Nystrom Elementary has been designated as a Secret Santa school.
The
first time was in 2000.