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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2018)
BAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 14, 2018 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM Weddle students get into giving spirit By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes While many of their peers are busy making their wish list for Santa, the students in the life skills special education class at Weddle Elementary have been working on something a little bit different. On Monday morning, each of the life skills kids went around the school delivering special holiday coffee mugs as presents for the staff. Each mug came with a peppermint candy cane and a special note. Stephanie Martin, who has been substitute teaching in the classroom since the begin- ning of the school year, was the main organizer for the project. Martin is fi lling in for Michelle Merritt, who is currently on maternity leave. “December can be kind of a stressful time for these kids, so one of the things that can help with the angst is to start think- ing about other people,” Martin said. “I think it’s a big help for kids to practice the idea of giv- ing away.” Many of the students were a little bit scared to have an interaction with an adult that they weren’t familiar with. But that fear melted away when they were greeted with a warm smile and a hug. “The look on the kids faces after giving their gift is price- less,” Martin said. “Each child responds a little bit differently, but you can tell by their en- gagement that they are totally into this. It’s something that they have become really excit- ed about.” Before transitioning into a role as a sub, Martin worked as a librarian at several differ- ent schools throughout the Sa- lem-Keizer area for more than two decades. But she fi rst got the idea to do this with the life skills classroom when she was a substitute at Houck in 2015. “I just wanted to tailor an KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings TOB LEFT: Derhyan (second grade) gives a mug to 4th grade teacher Anna Johnson. TOB RIGHT: Audrey (second grade) gives a gift to 5th grade teacher Emily Nevins. Below: The entire Life Skills class. activity to fi t those kids,” Mar- tin said. “It’s so important to teach empathy.” The idea behind this proj- ect is not only to teach empa- thy, but also teach the joy that comes with giving. Laura Wyler has been an in- structional assistant in the life skills room at Weddle for the last 12 years and she is a big fan of the project that Martin has brought to the class. “It really is wonderful,” Wyler said. “It’s teaching the kids to interact with the other adults, which is good exposure for our kids.” It took a few days of practice, but by the time Monday came around, the students were ready to hand out their gifts around the school. And members of the staff was more than thrilled to receive their presents. “The joy of giving a gift was really the focus this morning. Students realizing how good it feels when they are able to make someone else feel good,” fi fth grade teacher Emily Nev- ins said. “It made my day when the students brought that mug to me today. It is so good to re- ceive a gift but also to give, no matter how much it costs. It is all about how it makes the per- son feel.” Fourth grade teacher Jona- than Stover also added: “Having the young girl give me the gift today was easily the highlight of my day.” Classes Fitness Center Lectures Special Events Conferences Billiards Cards Art Crafts Music LGBT Chorus hits stage this weekend The Confl uence Willa- mette Valley LGBT Chorus will have three performances this weekend. Concerts will be Friday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Salem; Saturday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bridgeport United Church of Christ in Portland and Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Univer- salist Fellowship in Corvallis. Purchase tickets from Con- fl uence members or online at confl uencechorus.org. Advance tickets are $15 general admission and $12 seniors and students. At the door, tickets are $18 and $15. No one is turned away due to lack of funds. The concert will include classic holiday favorites along with toe-tapping songs like Cool Yule recorded by Lou- is Armstrong and Mistletoe and Holly by Frank Sinatra. In addition to Confl uence, two subgroups will be per- forming: Infl uence and Out- fl uence. There will also be an audience sing-along of Christmas carols. Dance Travel Lapidary Woodshop Computer Lab Book Clubs Support Groups ...and Much More!
