By Meklit Bogale ’25
Every year, members of CVHS’s National Honors Society chapter raise money and take a group of kids from the elementary schools to Target so they can buy holiday presents for their families.
Each NHS member was assigned an elementary schooler from one of the four schools in our district: J.E. Fritz, Smoketown, Brownstown, or Leola. Each member was given a certain amount of $30 Target Gift Cards to use for each of the child’s family members. Some money was raised from the NHS Coffeehouse, but the majority of the money was donated by teachers in order to dress down for a week.
On the date of this year’s event, December 19, 2023, the high schoolers left the building at 9 AM to meet with their elementary schoolers on the trip to Target. Then along with their buddies, they strolled the aisles of Target to find their perfect gifts.
As the day went on, the elementary students and high schoolers continued to bond and build a connection with each other. Each student has a different story, so being a part of something as small as a holiday gift means a lot to the community. After the gifts were bought at Target, they were all labeled and put into bags for volunteers to wrap and send to families later on.
The students all went back to the high school for an afternoon filled with fun crafts and activities. Lunch was provided, and as the day wrapped up, the only thing left to do was to say goodbye to newly made friends. The high schoolers walked their buddies down to their buses and said their final goodbyes for the holiday break.
NHS is committed to service, leadership, scholarship, and service. They believe this event, Shop With A Buckskin, is a perfect way to demonstrate those morals. NHS hopes to provide our community with the resources they need to have happy holidays and bring great cheer.