by Anisah Ullah, Staff Writer
Economics and sports entrepreneurship teacher, Ryan Bertoni, through a class-wide effort, adopted a struggling family of 5 during the holiday season and bring them joy with gifts.
“Mr. Bertoni came up with the idea that as a class, we would adopt a family and give them the gift of the holiday spirit. Many of these families are going through struggles that affect their morale. As a class we wanted to give them a little bit of happiness around the holiday season,” said Phillip Bui (’15).
Students brought in gifts for the single mother with 4 young daughters of ages 2, 3, 6, and 12. The single mother earns money by taking care of an infant and baking for small parties. She also works maintenance in an apartment building. She states that her greatest wish is that her “daughters get their needs and wishes fulfilled.”
Over the course of two weeks, students brought gifts, such as toys, clothing and gift cards, into class. They also had the option to help wrap the gifts together on Friday after school. Some students found this to be a great idea.
“During Christmas time, we think about getting people we love as present that they wanted so they could be happy. In the meantime, other people could not afford it for the people they love,” said Tiffany Nguygen (’15).
Some students also felt that giving to a family was not only beneficial to the family but to the students themselves. It taught them to be thankful and gave them a chance to rethink the way they may have been looking at gift giving during the holiday season.
“Mr. Bertoni sets a great example for students to be more helpful to those around us,” said Josh Bernardin (’15), “I think it also teaches students to be more thankful for what they themselves have when they see that this adopted family struggles to even afford time and money for Christmas. It’s a great way to spread some holiday cheer.”
