CHS Students Raise Over $2500 for Children’s Christmas

By Kaileigh Deacon

On Friday evening the students of the Calais High School Student Council, Calais Middle School student council and the Calais High School National Honor Society gathered in the library at the Calais High School to raise money for Christmas. 

The students on both councils and the National Honor Society spent the weeks before raising money to rock the night away. Donors sponsored the students to rock in rocking chairs for six hours. While they were rocking the students worked on homework, played games and had a good time. 

All the money raised will go toward purchasing Christmas gifts for the children that will be at the Calais Children’s Residential Treatment Program at AMHC over the Christmas Holiday. Students from the residential treatment program will provide lists of things they want and the students from the councils will go out and purchase the gifts with the money they raised. On December 20 the students will wrap everything they purchased then head over to Palmer Street to decorate and deliver the gifts. 

Their goal was to raise $2,000 but they surpassed their goal by raising $2,540 as of Friday with more donations still coming in. 

This is only the beginning of upcoming events the Student Council has going on. Next up the Student Council will be partnering with the Jobs for Maine Graduates program to sell ribbon wreaths. They are partnering with Wreaths for Hope to help raise money for the Maine Cancer Society by selling the ribbon wreaths. Wreaths are $25 each and will be decorated with the ribbon color of choice. The students will be selling the wreaths through December 2 both in person and during the Annual Lioness Christmas Parade on December 1. 

Then on December 8, during the Mingo’s Friends and Family weekend, the students will help with the events as well as decorating the wreaths they sold. People who purchase the wreaths can go to the event to pick up their wreaths or the kids will deliver them directly to their doors. 

The students also will be doing a Christmas Tree pick-up the week after Christmas. Anyone that wants can have their tree picked up and disposed of by the Student Council and JMG students for only $5. 

For more information about any of these events or to make a donation, you can contact Lori Ellis the Student Council Advisor at lellis@calasischools.org, Toby Cole, JMG Teacher at tcole@calaisschools.org or call the high school 454-2591.