Spreading Joy Throughout the School

From December 14th to the 17th, Fair Grove High School students had a week of school spirit. Together, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) organized Hope Week and a Christmas party that students could attend.

On the 14th, after school in the high school gym, SADD and FCCLA hosted a Christmas party at the start of Hope Week. The party was hosted to help students feel the joy of the season and unity in a week focusing on an unfortunate topic; so everyone was invited. The party had an optional gift exchange, snacks for purchase, and had an interactive game/movie.

The interactive movie the students watched was Elf. Everyone was given a bag full of things like microphones, fake snowballs, kazoos, and sunglasses. They also got a bag of the breakfast spaghetti that Buddy the Elf makes in the movie. When the scene in correlation with their items came on screen, students were encouraged to do the task, such as having a snowball fight, eating the breakfast spaghetti, and standing up and singing. With all that went on, students had fun at the party. Natalie Nolan (11) expressed, “It was a blast!”

The 14th was not only the Christmas party, but it was also the start of  Hope week. A week of suicide prevention week, Hope Week gave students a week to step back and look at things, life for example, in a different way that maybe that they hadn’t seen before.

“SADD recognizes Hope Week because it’s important to talk about topics such as suicide and its preventions,” Zoey Hupman (12), the S.A.D.D. President explained, “because if it’s never discussed then people won’t know that it’s important or worth talking about.”

As Hope Week is recognized it is paired with spirit days themed to help encourage students during the week. The days were: Ugly Sweater Day – Make someone smile, Anything But a Hat – use your thinking cap, think of a goal for yourself,  Pajama Day – kick back and think of a reason you are loved, who’s someone you are thankful for?, and Where Yellow and Orange, representing the suicide prevention colors.

“We want the students to feel like they have a support system,” shared Hannah Brunner (10), a S.A.D.D. officer. “We want kids to look forward to SADD and FCCLA events and feel like they are included in something and know that they have a safe place to go instead of going and making decisions that could alter their lives forever.”