Every year around the holidays, many people start to think of what to get their loved ones for the holidays. With seven hours of a day being taken up by school, and several more hours taken up by jobs or school sports, high school students may have trouble finding authentic and meaningful products to give their family members and friends for the holidays.
On December 12, 13, and 14, many clubs at the high school sold various products in the auditorium lobby during lunch periods for the annual Holiday Market. Clubs like Interact, Envirothon, Knights Readers, Scuba, Global Scholars, and more sold many different products related to their clubs’ goals.
The Global Scholars and Spanish Club students sold handwoven Pulsera Project bracelets at the Holiday Market this year. The Pulsera Project is a nonprofit organization that sells these handwoven, colorful bracelets from Guatemala and Nicaragua in order to benefit artisans in Central America.
Similarly, the Envirothon Club sold Nicaraguan coffee from a fair trade organization called the New Hope Project. Recently, the club got to talk to one of the organizers of the club and was very excited to share the benefits of free trade organizations with other people during the holidays.
Many students got the opportunity to complete their service hours by working at the Holiday Market for different clubs. Students who volunteered and sold items for Envirothon and Global Scholars could add a couple of hours towards their applications in the future. Furthermore, students who sold products from other clubs could add on hours to their National Honor Society forms.
Last year, Mrs. Muchoney, a science teacher at the high school, started the Holiday Market with other teachers and clubs at the high school. Mrs Muchoney thought that it would be nice for the high school to incorporate a sale of club goods before the holidays. Since the elementary schools do Santa’s Workshop and sell products for sale, Muchoney thought that a Holiday Market at the high school would benefit both the students and the clubs.
“We started the Holiday Market because the Envirothon Team and other clubs were selling a lot of products for fundraisers around the holidays,” Mrs. Muchoney said. “Additionally, my own children always enjoyed Santa’s Workshop in elementary school. I thought that it might be a good idea to combine the concept of a Santa’s Workshop with some of the club fundraisers.”
Around the holidays, many clubs start to pick up speed and therefore need products to fundraise to provide money to sponsor future field trips and club events.
“The Holiday Market is a good opportunity for clubs and organizations to fundraise,” Muchoney said. “Additionally, it adds a bit of holiday cheer, and it is a fun way to complete some shopping.”
In future years, Mrs. Muchoney would love to continue the Holiday Market at the high school to spread holiday cheer and to help various clubs fundraise for their future endeavors.
“If there is interest, then I would like to continue the Holiday Market as an annual tradition,” Muchoney said.
