NEWS Walnut Valley Unified School District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 880 S. Lemon Avenue
December 9, 2011 Walnut, CA 91789
Contact:
Kelli Gile, Office of Community Resources
(909) 595-1261 ext. 31204
Westhoff Sparks Meaning of the Season
WALNUT, CA--Westhoff Elementary School hosted its 19th annual Spark of Love toy drive and holiday program on December 9.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Robert Harmon, Engineer Dave Bohon, Firefighters Tim Robertson, and Craig Sredhick from Walnut Station #146 accepted the donations of toys and sporting goods from students.
Twenty-five huge boxes were filled with hundreds of gifts for needy children.
Captain Harmon thanked the students and parents for their ongoing support of the Spark of Love Toy Drive.
“We are thankful to be a part of this event and every year it keeps getting better! Because of your generosity many children across Los Angeles County will experience joy on Christmas morning because they will have a gift to open,” he said.
The holiday program that followed featured choreographed songs, an oral presentation, and band performance.
Each grade performed on the stage decorated with glittery ornaments, snowflakes and snowcapped Christmas trees.
Kindergarteners performed “Feliz Navidad” wearing holiday hats, scarves, and sombreros. They played a variety of instruments and select students held up letters that spelling out Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad.
The Band played “Jolly Old St. Nick” and “Good King Wenseslas”. First graders performed “Christmas on the Beach in Waikiki” wearing colorful leis, sunglasses and played kazoos.
Second graders sang “Go Go Christmas” and third graders recited “Twas the Night Before Christmas” wearing colorful cozy pajamas.
Fourth graders sang a hip-hop version of “Jingle Bells” with Santa hats, neon sunglasses, and dance solos.
Fifth graders performed the high energy “The Greatest Time of Year” with yo-yo twirling, cartwheels, guitar playing, razor scooters, and hip-hop dancing.
The staff’s two-stepping finale “All I Want for Christmas is You” featured a very special appearance by Santa and his elves!
“This is one of my favorite events at Westhoff because it ties in with our character program. We talk about kindness, empathy, respect, tolerance perseverance, and goal setting in our daily morning announcements, in the classrooms, and our monthly assemblies. Thank you for giving these all of these wonderful toys for other children,” said Principal Denise Rendon.
Shown:
Walnut station #146 Captain Robert Harmon accepted donations from Westhoff students during the Spark of Love toy drive.
Kindergarteners wearing Santa hats, scarves, and sombreros sang “Feliz Navidad”.
Fourth graders performed an upbeat version of “Jingle Bells”
Fifth graders sang “The Greatest Time of Year” showcasing a variety of their talents including yo-yo twirling, dancing, guitar playing, and fancy razor scooter riding.
Westhoff staff members danced a sassy two-step to the finale song “All I Want for Christmas” with Santa and his elves making a special appearance.