Holiday helping hands

En Español

It's well-known that Boulder Valley School District employees, students and community members are consistently generous and kind in countless ways year-round. However, this is most evident in this season of giving when BVSD schools showcased the ways that they are supported by each other and give back to their local communities.

Meadowlark Mavericks organize to support Hurricane Helene victims
First and second graders at Meadowlark School have been learning about building a positive community through a project-based learning (PBL) unit. They recently hosted a community event to share their work with their families, during which they used what they’d learned to create a fundraiser to support students impacted by Hurricane Helene, inspired by one of their teachers, Hannah Massey. She recently moved to Colorado from North Carolina. The students encouraged their families to buy seed packets they had created with proceeds benefiting Asheville City Schools Foundation Emergency Assistance Fund.

Meadowlark students collected seeds from their gardens and worked with Meadowlark’s art department to create custom block-printed seed envelopes. Using persuasive writing techniques they learned in the classroom, they even designed marketing posters to promote their efforts.

“After sharing more about my community in Appalachia where I moved from, the Meadowlark learning community explored what their own communities meant to them,” shared Massey. “Seeing their learning come together in such a personal way was both inspiring and special, especially since many of my previous students lost everything during Hurricane Helene. I am so thankful to be a part of such a loving team and community at Meadowlark School.”

Centaurus High students make comfort pillows for breast cancer survivors
With a week before Thanksgiving, students at Centaurus High School gathered to help JWILL Pink Village make about 500 heart pillows for breast cancer patients. The school also welcomed any members of families in their school community that have survived breast cancer or have been recently diagnosed to join them during the special event.

The pillows help support women in Colorado and Wyoming after they go through mastectomy surgery, by strapping into the seatbelt and preventing the seatbelt from touching their chest area.

This isn’t the first time Centaurus has pulled together to support JWILL Pink Village. In May of 2023, the school helped the organization replace its stock of pillows that had burned down in a storage unit during the Marshall Fire.

Christine Ferguson, a mathematics teacher at Centaurus High School oversaw the project shared, “The event was particularly special, with some students bringing their mothers to help out. This initiative has provided them with the understanding that giving back comes in many forms; it is not solely about money, but also about making a difference within our own community.”

“Students loved that these pillows were given to family members who live right here in Lafayette. These pillows will also go to hospitals in both Wyoming and Arizona. I am so proud of our students. In doubling the amount created last year, we raised the bar and they rose to the occasion.”

Fairview High students arrange gifts to local native tribe, Cheyenne River Youth Project
For several years, Fairview Student Council (FHS StuCo) has partnered with the Cheyenne River Youth Project, bringing holiday cheer to the Lakota youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. Through their Dear Santa Toy Drive, Fairview Student Council recruits their community to sponsor a child by purchasing a toy of the child’s choosing and dropping it off at the school or making a monetary donation to the cause. 

The FHS student council execs serve as the liaison to communicate with the charity and the project has been carried out by student council members.

“It has really brought the community together,” said Theodore (T.J.) Strasser, Fairview High School teacher and advisor to FHS StuCo. “So far we have had FHS students, families, alumni, and community members adopting kids and their holiday wish lists.”

Aspen Creek Cares Day
Middle-level students at Aspen Creek PK-8 came up with the idea of a special day of school where students work to serve their community. During Aspen Creek Cares Day the students worked on projects both at school and at non-profit organizations across the community. The projects they came up with include making blankets for A Precious Child, a Broomfield nonprofit that supports children and families in need, making cards for Veterans thanking them for their service, and volunteering at the Refuge cafe, a place that offers meals and resources to people experiencing homelessness.

The students shared that the special day helped them understand the importance of empathy and compassion for others in their community.

“It’s fun because you’re helping your community and making others smile,” shared Aspen Creek student Lyla Campana. “And you smile because you’re doing it with your best friends.”

BVSD Share-A-Gift Annual Toy Drive
Each year BVSD hosts the Share–A–Gift annual toy drive which provides toys, books, and bicycles for children of low-income families in the Boulder Valley School District. Gifts are free for parents or guardians of children 14 years old or younger who attend school in BVSD or live within the BVSD attendance area. 

Many BVSD schools are amassing lots of toys for the cause thanks to donations from the community including Superior Elementary which collected 16 boxes of toys as a school!

On Saturday, December 21 families are welcome to visit the shop at 5450 Western Avenue in Boulder. Learn more and find information in English and Spanish on the Share-A-Gift website.

Some BVSD students, including about 25 students from Horizons K-8 will be taking shifts the last week of school before the holiday break to help set up the shop for families. 

Michelle Carpenter, former Boulder High School teacher and Share-A-Gift co-president, shares how all BVSD students and their families benefit from Share-A-Gift’s distribution of toys.

“Our students are invaluable contributors to the annual success of our program,” says Carpenter. “Students from elementary school to high school grades are incredibly generous and compassionate in donating toys. As volunteers, over 100 BVSD students participate in many ways, from sorting and organizing games, puzzles, toys and more gifts to aiding families in "shopping" for gifts on our event day.”

“Several of our high schoolers who volunteer were once recipients of Share-A-Gift holiday toys and are delighted to be able to give back to younger children.”

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Is your school or organization doing something special to support our BVSD community? Let us know at communications@bvsd.org and we'll make sure to celebrate it on our channels. Thanks for an amazing 2024 BVSD!