A giving season at Bay Village Schools

Bay High students made paper flowers and butterflies for Village Project to cheer cancer patients receiving meals.

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Students and staff at Bay Village Schools are generous throughout the year, and this holiday season they planned and delivered on dozens of giving efforts to help others. Below is a list of the many projects and activities that took place throughout the season.

Bay High boys basketball players caroled and served cookies at the Knickerbocker Apartments – a favorite event for those residents that was followed by several more musical performances by Bay Village Schools student vocalists and instrumentalists.

Every building throughout the district collected brand new toys for patients at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital in honor of Maggie Willmitch, a young sibling of a Bay Village Schools family who passed away while a patient there. In her memory, youngsters will have a brightened Christmas while in the hospital thanks to "with love Maggie" which was established by her family.

Bay Middle School Builders Club joined Meals on Wheels this holiday season by holding a raisin donation drive in mid-November. The raisins collected were included in holiday bags for local individuals who may not be able to get out in the cold weather. In addition, BMS held their annual Builders Club Community Drive. The goal of the service project is to provide items families need to meet their daily basic needs. Each grade level was asked to donate specific items to help support local families.

Westerly Elementary School fourth-grade students made 16 fleece blankets for children at Halle School in Cleveland and delivered them personally. While they were there, students provided "entertainment" – three Christmas skits. They were warmly welcomed by the principal, the teachers and the students. It was a marvelous day, full of joy. Students at Halle School were invited for a picnic at Westerly in the spring.

Bay High students created a series of wooden tops. The tops are unfinished raw wood. The toys will be decorated by the students using highlighters and markers to create interesting designs when the top is spun. The tops will be finished with a spray sealer and donated to the children's hospital.

Bay High Family and Consumer Science students decorated gingerbread houses to share with Knickerbocker Apartments residents.

Bay Middle School's seventh-grade Boys Honor Group (Bay Family Services) hosted its annual Shoe Shine Fundraiser. This group shines and cleans shoes annually for donations which are then used to purchase baking supplies for Christmas cookies. The students decorate the cookies and then they are delivered to families in need. Leftover proceeds are donated to Bay Food Ministry.

Bay High's Wings group made Christmas cards for Rae Ann Nursing and Rehabilitation patients.

Westerly students donated over 100 gently used children's books for the Cleveland Kids' Book Bank, delivered to the big blue Cleveland Kids' Book Bank located in front of Westerly. What great joy to give the gift of reading during the season of giving.

Bay High Key Club members rang the bell on behalf of the Salvation Army on Saturdays throughout the holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and made blankets to give to needy families. Key Clubbers donated many hours to work the Bay Village Kiwanis Christmas Tree Sale loading trees for customers. They also sold homemade wooden tree ornaments, the proceeds of which will be donated to help the needy.

Bay High staff and students collected toys for the Salvation Army Tree of Hope.

Bay High School students and staff spent an Hour of Giving, creating gifts for others:

• Busy Bags for Bay Village Early Childhood PTA
• Ornaments for Meals on Wheels
• Dog toys for Moose's Mission Dog Toys
• Paper flowers and butterflies for Village Project to cheer cancer patients receiving meals
• Cancer Sunshine Kits for The Gathering Place
• Cookie baking to bring joy to others
• Baking and decorating gingerbread houses to share with Knickerbocker Apartments residents
• Gift wrapping as a fundraiser to help the needy

There are no doubt many more holiday projects that took place in the Bay Village Schools that demonstrate the important value of charity and caring for others. Students and staff of the Bay Village Schools once again made that extra effort to help give eveyone a happier holiday season.