Middle Schoolers Adopt a Child for the Holidays

The holidays came a little early for some children at Alice Ponder Elementary School. Students at neighboring Rogene Worley Middle School adopted a few of the elementary school students and showered them with gifts, food and fun.

The Adopt-a-Child tradition has been going on at Worley Middle School for more than 20 years. The school gets a list of what some less fortunate Ponder Elementary students will need for the holidays, and the middle schoolers buy as many of the items as they can.

A Worley student presents a child with one of many gifts.

"It's just a wonderful day to see our students watch joy in the eyes of another person and know that they were a part of that," said Principal Julia McMains of Worley Middle School. "This is one of our best days of the year and one of our proudest moments."

One by one, the elementary students unwrapped their gifts, ranging from bikes to dolls and race cars. The look of excitement could be seen on the faces of the children and the older students who surrounded them.

"We decided that we need to make their Christmas happy," said eighth-grader Malachi Witherspoon. "It was all worth it when we saw the expressions on the children's faces."

Worley's Adopt-a-Child event is sponsored by the student council. The student body spends time decorating classrooms and providing snacks to make the day of opening presents extra special for the elementary students.