As the Christmas season arrives, Powell hosts many events to celebrate the season. One such event is Santa’s workshop, hosted by the Powell Rotary Club and assisted by student volunteers.

Santa’s workshop hosted 19 different craft stations ranging from slime to macaroni Christmas trees. Kids also had an opportunity for a free balloon animal and face painting.

“I helped with a craft that involved dyed pasta,” junior Anai Torres said. “They were able to make anything they wanted, such as Christmas trees or wreaths. One kid wanted to make a snowman.”

For this event, parents were encouraged to stay with their kids, allowing them to enjoy the seasonal spirit with their children. 

“It was fun seeing all the kids because they’re all so cute,” senior Isabelle Lobingier said. “There were a lot of young kids, and their parents were helping them with the crafts.”

Working with children can get messy fast; with some of the crafts, volunteers tried their hardest to keep the kids and area clean.

“I helped make the slime,” freshman Marley Rimmer said. “We made the slime before the kids arrived but they kept overloading on the glitter making a mess.”

The event had activities for all ages, and it encouraged kids to use their developing physical and social skills.

“There weren’t enough peg boards for everybody,” senior Colton George said. “So the kids had to share which went well but some of the kids didn’t have their fine motor skills all the way, so they had struggles putting the beads on the board.”

The developments were not limited to just the kids; volunteering is a great way to develop leadership skills.

“There were a lot more people than I expected,” Rimmer said. “Talking to the kids and their parents helped me work on my social skills, that’s why I do these volunteering events.”

Some volunteers had siblings or students who attended the event, letting them see the kids being put in new circumstances.

“I enjoyed getting to see them in real-world situations,” George said. “It’s a lot different seeing them in classrooms instead of just seeing them outside of school and how they actually act.”

Powell does numerous events to make the Christmas season more exciting. After kids attended Santa’s workshop, they had the opportunity to see Santa at Plaza Diane.

“I’m glad like the community does stuff like this,” junior Janicia Ramirez said. “It helps the little kids learn and get into the spirit of the holidays.”

The robotics team does several events to work on community outreach such as parades, the duck race, and elementary school craft fairs.

“Volunteering gets you out into the community,” Lobingier said. “They need a lot of help with these events and it gives a great experience to the kids.” 

Even if you aren’t involved with the associated teams, volunteering is a great way to get involved with the local community.

“The kids have something they can hang on their tree or hang up in their house that they can look at for however long,” Lobingier said. “And not only that, it’s just a great experience to learn how to interact with other kids out of school, which is a skill that everybody needs.”