As the holiday season approaches, students and staff at Manitou Springs High School are finding ways to bring the holiday spirit to the local community and to those that are in need through the Angel Tree project.
The Angel Tree project is connected to the district’s Holiday Help program which has been helping the Manitou Springs community for many years. Partners for Healthy Choices student liaison Angela Gieck, who helps coordinate the program, feels that the program is a way that families can confidently ask for support during the holiday season. “Basically any family that is in need for the holidays can sign up and just say, we need support for basic needs for our kids and gift ideas for our kids,” Gieck said. The program has been a part of the district for as long as Gieck has been in her position, which has been 13 years.
While the Holiday Help program has a long history of helping the community, the Angel Tree at the high school is relatively new. “For the angel tree specifically, this is probably only the second time the high school supports it,” Gieck said. The idea was created to make it easy for high school students to help contribute without having to adopt a whole family through the program.
Student council member Krissy Stout (12) believes that the goal of organizing the project was to have high school students help local children without having the pressure to give more than they could. “We did it this way so kids our age, high school students, would be able to afford to help out better,” Stout said.
For students, the Angel Tree has made the needs of the local community feel real. Senior Gracie Esterline felt that the items being asked for on the tree stood out immediately. “It kind of just made us sad,” Esterline said. “The presents they were asking for were daily needs.”
Esterline believes the Angle Tree is an easy and accessible way for students to help get involved. “It was like really small stuff,” Esterline said. “It felt like it was doable to do something, like a good deed and help.”
Esterline felt that the angel tree became more than a donation opportunity. “I feel like it’s honestly a way of bringing people together,” Esterline said.
Through the Angel Tree project students and staff are able to come together to help their local community. “Matt, one of the tech people was listening to our ideas of getting them more stuff, like candy and toys, along with what they needed,” Esterline said. “He came back and gave us a donation because he liked our idea. And so he gave us money to put towards all of our trees.”
Another student, Kelsi VerVaecke (12), believes that the reason she decided to get involved was after seeing how young some of the children were. “I just thought it was really sad that there were little six-year-old kids asking for socks for Christmas,” VerVaecke said.
Helping with the Angel Tree has also helped change VerVaecke’s perspective on the holiday season. VerVaecke feels that the experience of helping with the angle tree has made her more aware of the challenges other families face.“I kind of just stay in my own little personal bubble very often,” VerVaecke said.
Through helping with the Angel Tree VerVaecke believes that knowing the effort she and others made helped make the experience more meaningful. “It feels good to know that at least a couple of them will be getting gifts,” Vervacke said.
Sometimes asking for help during the holidays can be difficult, but that’s what makes the community’s support more meaningful and impactful. “Our families that are recipients of the support for the holiday are overcome with emotions,” Gieck said. “They are usually pretty emotional and tearful and are so greatful.”
Donations to the program help support other programs such as the district’s food pantry and clothing closet. Gieck believes that the needs of families often extend past the holiday season. “Our families aren’t just in need during the holidays,” Gieck said. “They are in need 364 other days of the year too.”
Through small acts of kindness students and staff at MSHS can help support their local community. While the Angel Tree focuses on the holiday season, Gieck feels that it serves a larger purpose. “I think it just helps high school kids think beyond themselves, think about a bigger picture and the needs of others,” Gieck said.
While the Angle Tree may only be around for the holiday season, Organizers hope that the message it brings will remind students that small acts of kindness can make a lasting difference. “I think there’s always hope,” Gieck said. “There’s always hope that we’ve got somebody to lean on.”
