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.

Middle School Students Show Spirit of Giving to Neighboring Elementary Students

Several gifts adorned the table for one of the 18 adopted children.

Walking through the hallways of Rogene Worley Middle School, it felt a lot like Christmas morning. Holiday tunes were playing, presents were underneath decorated Christmas Trees, and several presents were piled underneath the trees.

It wasn’t your typical end-of-the-year party, though. All of the gifts and activities were for a group of 18 children who otherwise may not have received much for Christmas this year.

Worley Middle School’s annual tradition is to adopt kids in need from nearby Alice Ponder Elementary School and give them a special day to remember. It’s the 25th year the middle school has held its Adopt-a-Child Day, and Worley’s principal said it’s one of her favorite events.

A Ponder student opened her gifts with the help of Worley students.

“I love watching our kids appreciate the joy on the faces of these younger children,” said Principal Julia McMains. “In the age of social media and self-absorption, it’s nice to see these teens have real and meaningful interactions. They’re showing their true caring selves, and I love it.”

Adopt-a-Child Day is coordinated by Worley’s student council. The elementary school students go to different classrooms set up with decorations, food, and presents just for them. A teacher noted that some of the middle schoolers didn’t ask their parents to give. Instead, the students contributed in their own way.

“One of my students came up to me and said that he bought a big basketball hoop with a gift card he received,” said Jill Melchiorre, eighth grade science teacher. “I just started crying right then and there because I was touched to see his compassion.”

A Ponder student was happy to unwrap her new backpack.

Smiles were on full display in each room. Children’s faces lit up as each gift was being handed to them, the middle schoolers watched in delight to see their gifts make an impact, and staff grinned in delight viewing the selflessness of it all.

“It really was a whole team effort,” said eighth grader Naomi Nebe, who is also a student council member. “We were all so excited to set it up and create these great memories for the kids.”

A Smooth Transition for Students New to the Country

We’ve all had the first-day-of-school jitters before. But just imagine how nerve racking it would be to have those first-day-of-school jitters... in a new country.

Worley Middle School’s Newcomers Class helps make that transition smoother for students who are in their first year of being in America. The class allows students from all over Mansfield ISD to get an education while adapting to the English language.

Teacher Samantha Ash teaching about U.S. history.

"The goal of the class is English language acquisition through content knowledge," said teacher Samantha Ash. "It's about using content-specific vocabulary for history, for math, and getting them to understand the English vocabulary of it."

The students come to the class knowing little-to-no English, but usually leave with the ability to understand the basics of the language.

That was the case for eighth grader Enrique Romo.

“I didn’t know English when I started,” said Romo. “People would come up to me and ask questions, but I didn’t know what they were saying. Now, I’m pretty good.”

The students also gain new friends in the process.

Eighth grader Karina Garcia after explaining why she loves the class.

“We’re all learning, so we talk and help each other understand,” said eighth grader Karina Garcia.

The students first learn vocabulary, like directions and common classroom items, and keep expanding upon their vocabulary doing various lesson plans.

“When you go to any country, you have to immerse yourself into the language; and that’s exactly what these kids do,” said Ash.

The class has seen as many as 23 students who speak 17 different languages at a time; and for Ash, that’s the beauty of it.

“I love seeing the kids participate. I want them to be proud of their language and have the ability to translate it into English."