Plano Schools Lend Helping Hands During the Holidays
 Our
53,000 students and 7,000 employees in 70 schools and service facilities
have been busy this holiday season shopping, preparing and delivering
thousands of food items and gifts for North Texas families in need. On
this site are published many of their generous acts of kindness.
Pictured above are officers
of Plano Educational Office/Para-Professional Association (l-r)
Kim O’Bryon, Debra Bennett and Brenda Payne with
some
of their
Adam’s
Animals donations.
Elementary Schools
Andrews Elementary School
The STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group at Andrews Elementary School raised $547.30 for the Journey of Hope Grief Support Center. The donation will be delivered on Thursday, December 15.
Barksdale Elementary School
The Barksdale Elementary STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group sponsored a canned food drive. They delivered 3,363 items to Plano Santas on December 2.
Barron Early Childhood School
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, Kay Glawe (counselor) and Josie Granados (secretary) organized the giving of presents to over 80 students. Each child received one book and two toys wrapped in beautiful holiday paper. The toys were obtained through the generous efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Henry, Shepard Elementary (our sister school), friends at Administration, and staff members.
Beverly Elementary School
Student Council members sponsored a canned food drive which brought in over 800 items. The STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group will collect money for 12 needy children in the Plano area benefitting the Plano Santas organization.
The P.E. Staff and students chose the Samaritan Inn in McKinney (the only homeless shelter in Collin County) to help this year. Each Friday, the students are encouraged to bring a two penny donation. To date, the students have collected over $400. At the end of the year, all money collected will be donated to the Samaritan Inn.
Brinker Elementary School
The Brinker Elementary STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group collected 2200 cans of food for Plano Santas.
The school also participated in a Giving Bear campaign benefiting families in need from our sister school.
Grade level winter parties that are being held on Dec. 21 will have a focus on giving - students will be making crafts and/or collecting items to be shared with a variety of charitable organizations.
Boggess Elementary School
It has been the tradition of the Boggess PTA and staff to give back to the community during the Holiday season. We do this by adopting families who have signed up for the Santa's Workshop Program through the Plano Assistance Center. Boggess PTA and staff members adopted several large families this year.
Carlisle Elementary School
 The STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group, with the help of many dedicated parent sponsors and teachers, made posters and organized collection boxes outside of each grade area. Announcements were made each morning by students urging fellow students to make donations. A grand total of 3,540 cans were collected and delivered to the Plano Santas Food Drive.
The STOP ( Student's Thinking of Peers) group also collected small items such as toys, bath products, toiletries, etc. for the inpatient facility called Our Children's House at Baylor for families whose children are sick and need therapy. The products were for the families and ill children who live there temporarily while the child is in therapy. The student's also made holiday cards for the students and placed them on wreaths to be displayed at the facility.
The staff adopted a family through the Collin County Assistance league and is providing gifts for the holidays for three children.
Centennial Elementary School
Centennial students and staff will conduct three drives for sister school Mendenhall Elementary, including a giving tree, a coat drive, and a recess equipment drive. In addition, there will be a Centennial Giving Tree for families in need at the school.
Christie Elementary School
The students and staff at Christie Elementary collected canned food and $356 for the Plano Santas.
Harrington Elementary School
Students at Harrington Elementary will sponsor a food drive benefitting Plano Food Pantry.
Haun Elementary School
The staff and students at Bettye Haun Elementary School donated 3,622 cans to the Plano Food Pantry. STOP Students, Student Council and parent volunteers helped make our food drive a success!
Hedgcoxe Elementary School
The school's STOP (Student's Thinking of Peers) group collected fresh fruit school-wide to create a gigantic fruit basket that was taken to a Plano Senior Citizens Living Facility. Students, also under the coordination of STOP, brought candy canes that were taken to Plano Medical Center to be given to patients.
The Hedgcoxe Staff adopted two families with nine children from another Plano school. The families were given wrapped gifts from their wish lists!
Student Council conducted a “Penny War” between all grade levels at Hedgcoxe to see who could collect the most money for families in need within our school during the holiday season. Student Council also sponsored “Feed the Hungry” by taking up money to give to the Center League of Greater Collin County to help feed those in need.
Hughston Elementary School
A school-wide project for CITYHouse is currenlty underway at Hughston Elementary School. Collection boxes are located in each grade level and students are encouraged to brin in personal care items. All donations will be delivered to CITYHouse.
Jackson Elementary School
There will be a "Giving Tree" for Jackson Elementary School children in need. Numbered items will be available for people to choose off the tree. Each number will correspond to a child in need. The purchased items will then be delivered to the child.
Memorial Elementary School
The Student Council sponsored a canned food drive and collected 1,254 cans that were donated to The Plano Santas.
Memorial Elementary also sponsored its second annual angel tree project. Parent, students and staff selected an angel and purchased the gifts suggested by parents. Twenty-one families were assisted with gifting needs. Bettye Haun Elementary School, Memorial's sister school, also participated in this project.
Miller Elementary School
The Student Council at Miller Elementary is making Holiday cards for local area nursing homes.
The STOP (Students Thinking of Other People) group and Student Council worked together on the canned food drive for Plano Santas. Over 2,400 cans were collected.
As a school community, local families have been adopted and gifts will be provided to them for the Holiday season.
 Mitchell Elementary School
The Mitchell Elementary fifth grade STOP (Students Thinking of
People) STARS participated in the Plano Santas food drive.
They collected hundreds of cans
of food and boxed them for delivery.
Rasor Elementary School
STOP (Students Thinking of People) students at Rasor will sponsor a new and gently used toy/book drive benefiting the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center and Hope's Door. The students are calling the drive "Give a Gift, Get a Smile."
Rose Haggar Elementary School
The students collected 1,978 non-perishable food items in Haggar's annual canned food drive. All donations will be distributed to local families in need by the Plano Santas.
The school now has launched its Make-A-Child-Happy project in support of the Plano Head Start program. Sponsoring this effort is the Haggar Student Council and it will provide holiday gifts for preschool age Head Start children attending Meadows Elementary School.
Sigler Elementary School
A canned food drive was conducted at the school. A total of 4,092 items were donated by the students and given to Plano Santas.
Shepard Elementary School
The STOP (Students Thinking of People) students and the Shepard PTA are sponsoring the "Giving Tree Project." Target and Wal-mart gift cards are being collected and will be given to Shepard families needing some financial assistance with their holiday expenses thsi year.
Thomas Elementary School
Thomas Elementary families donated canned goods for the annual holiday event. STOP students sorted over 600 canned goods and non-perishables collected from students’ families and a generous donation from the Plano Metro Rotary Club. In addition, twenty-seven families from Thomas were provided with new clothing from the Thomas teachers and staff. New toys were provided from Brinker and the Plano Metro Rotary Club. When the families arrive at Thomas for their pick up, they will receive new clothes, toys and a sizeable box of food. This project has been an ongoing event at Thomas for many years.
Also, during the winter parties this week, the students at Thomas will be writing letters to our troops overseas.
Wyatt Elementary School
The STOP students and the Student Council at Wyatt Elementary sponsored a toy drive benefitting the Starlight Starbright Foundation for the Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Middle Schools
Carpenter Middle School
The spirit of giving is alive at Carpenter Middle School! The students and staff raised a record 3400 cans for the Plano Santas Food Drive this season.
Sixth grade teachers banded together and donated much-needed pajamas for kids to CITY House.
Haggard Middle School
The ESL group, ESL Kids Care, donated a gift of holiday joy to the residents of Waterford at Plano, a retirement community. Working before and after school, the group skillfully created dozens of origami and cut paper tray favors. The designs, comprised of cranes, flowers, angels, trees, stars and Santas, were presented to Mrs. Pat Kohn, Waterford’s Director of Activities when she came to enjoy a visit with the students in ESL class.
Congratulations to the National Junior Honor Society at Haggard
for sponsoring a canned food drive. Haggard students donated
more than 2,648 canned good items to Plano Santas to help families
in need throughout the holiday season.
Haggard Middle School students
Frankford Middle School
Several student-based advisory groups, club groups and teacher groups will sponsor some of the families in need at Frankford. Each group will be assigned a family to sponsor. The family's wish list will be given to each sponsoring group to assure that the families have gifts for the holiday season. This activity is being called"Frankford's Holiday Friends."
The Frankford Teen Library Board held a book drive in the first two weeks of December and collected more than 2,200 new and gently used books for various organizations in the community. Books were donated to the Children's Medical Clinic of Plano, Samaritan Inn Homeless Shelter of Collin County, Hope's Door, and City Family Center of Plano. Thanks to all the students and their families for helping make this book drive so successful.
Murphy Middle School
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) at Murphy Middle School will donate toys to the "Toys for Tots" organization for this holiday season.
Renner Middle School
 For the 15th year, Renner Middle School students will help those in need by collecting canned foods which will be donated to families at Sigler Elementary School as part of the Adopt-a-Kid program. Through this program, Renner students, faculty and staff will also provide gifts to the families during the holidays and small treats to the children in the spring.
Robinson Middle School
A volleyball match featuring the staff playing against the students was held. Admission to the game was the donation of a non-perishable food item. The collection of canned goods continues and all will be donated to the Plano Santas.
Schimelpfenig MIddle School
The Schimelpfenig staff has adopted a family of six. Gifts and holiday treats will be collected and delivered to the family so they enjoy a little holiday cheer.
The PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Students) organization made holiday bags that will be given to CITY House (local runaway youth shelter in Plano). Each bag was decorated and contained a homemade card, various craft items and other holiday goodies.
The Playcrafters adopted a family for the Holiday season. Students brought in toys for the children and money donated was used to buy clothing for the children.
High Schools
Jasper High School
The International Multicultural Society at Jasper HIgh School has adopted two families from the Plano Adoption Center. Supplies and gifts will be delivered to them on December 14.
Shepton High School
The JROTC group at Shepton High School adopted a Marine Squad of 13 marines. They have been in Iraq since February of 2004. The cadets donated snack food, magazines, CD's, DVD's, drink mixes, footballs, frisbees, and baseballs. The items were packed in 4 boxes and weighed 180 pounds.
The STAND (Students Taking Action Not Drugs) group sponsored a family of eight for the holiday season and the Girls Soccer team adopteda family of six from Centennial Elementary School.
Two organizations sponsored activites for CITY House. The Key Club helped serve Thanksgiving dinner to CITY House kids. Cards and ornaments were made by the International Club.
Williams High School
The choirs at Williams High School are adopting several local students. Choir students and parents are shopping for holiday gifts for these students. The HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) group will sponsor a toy drive December 13-15.
Senior High Schools
Plano East Senior High School
The Plano East Senior High HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) group has adopted a Head Start family of six which includes a student at Meadows Elementary School. Gifts and food will be collected, wrapped and then delivered to the family in need. Gift cards will also be collected for CITYHouse.
The National Honor Society at Plano East collected items for two different organizations. Games, puzzles, cards, pens, etc. were donated to the patients and their families who are at Baylor Medical Center of Plano. The National Honor Society members also donated new toys and books to the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation sponsored by Starbucks Coffee Company. These donations go to children suffering from chronic, serious or life-threatening illnesses, as well as debilitating injuries.
The Spanish Department at Plano East collected funds in all of our Spanish classes and raised $700. Two families were adopted from Plano Santas, with 10 children and 5 adults. Spanish Club officers and their sponsor, Mrs. Chris Smith, shopped for the families. After the Spanish Club wrapping party, the officers and sponsor delivered food and gifts on Saturday, December 17.
Panther Preschool hopes to make a difference in a childs day with a teddy bear! They collected new teddy bears to donate to the Plano Police Department. The teddy bears are kept in police cars, and when an officer encounters a child who has been traumatized due to tragedy or victimization, the child is given a bear. The child is comforted by the bear in an unfortunate or unfamiliar surrounding.
The International Club of Plano East Senior High School raised $200 for hurricane relief, through T-shirt sales, that will be donated to the Red Cross in McKinney. The students of this educational and social organization, also donated change and dollars to help an orphanage in Mexico this holiday.
Plano West Senior High School
 The Plano West Cluster Orchestras (Plano West, Shepton, Renner, Robinson, Frankford) will collect canned food for the North Texas Food Bank.
The PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Students) organization and Plano West counselors have set up an Angel (bear) tree. The PALS decorated the tree and hung bears with numbers on them corresponding to students in the school who could benefit from a little help over the holidays.
The Plano West Student Congress sponsored a canned food drive to benefit the Plano Santas. Student Congress officers delivered more than 1,700 cans that were collected.
The JROTC Cadets of Plano West Senior High School adopted a Plano family through the Plano Santas. The 11th and 12th grade Cadets collected over $450 through donations to purchase gifts for the family. In addition, the Computer Club of Plano West has donated a computer built by the club members. The wrapped gifts and computer will be delivered on December 17.
District Offices & Organizations
Plano Principals' Association
The West Cluster assisted the Special Olympics of Dallas for the younger children. The Central Cluster did the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center/Operation School Bell.
PEOPA Assists 'Adams Animals'
The Plano Educational Office/Para-Professional Association
is collecting stuffed animals for Adam's Animals, a non-profit
organization that brings joy to kids with cancer in the form of
a cuddly friend. Adam's Animals was established in memory of former
Plano ISD student, Adam Hurst.
Administration Building employees
held a building-wide contest to collect items for the Plano Santas
food drive.
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