Hamilton DECA Adopt a Classroom
Photos submitted by Hamilton DECA.
Madeline Yingst
On December 17, 63 Hamilton DECA members went to Gaenslen Elementary School in Milwaukee to hand out gifts to three first grade classrooms. This annual event allows the first grade students at Gaenslen to receive gifts each year as they may not receive any others.
Adopt a Classroom has been an ongoing community service event hosted by Hamilton DECA for the past 15 years. Each year, DECA members receive a child and a list of their favorite activities, toys, and hobbies. They will then go out with a $25-$30 budget to purchase a few gifts for their kid. Everyone then travels out to Milwaukee to meet their kid, hand them their gift, and play around with them for a few hours before taking a group picture and saying goodbye. This event is one of DECA’s favorites as it brings so much joy to littles. One of Hamilton DECA’s Co-Presidents, senior Natalie Olson, recalls, “It’s so fun to hear their little screams of joy as they open exactly what they asked for!”
This year, DECA members left Hamilton around 10:00 a.m. Students had a pit stop for lunch at Culver’s and then hit the road to Gaenslen Elementary. Once they arrived, names started being called and each Hamilton High School student got to meet their first-grader. Keerthana Gopi, a sophomore DECA member, describes the experience saying, “I was really excited to see them be so happy with their gifts and playing with them!”
DECA members gifted presents of toys, action figurines, puzzles, stuffed animals, board games, and more. This heartwarming experience is one that high school students often cherish most. Abbie Dong, a sophomore DECA member, stated, “It felt like I was doing a good thing for other people, as these kids are from lower income backgrounds. My kid was really sweet and was super thankful for everything. She even offered parts of her present to me!”
After the gift exchange, high school and elementary students continued to play and interact with each other, rotating toys and sharing with everyone, before settling down to watch the classic The Grinch movie. New to this year’s annual event, Hamilton students were charmed by the first grader’s rendition of “Feliz Navidad,” which they sang at their Christmas concert the following day. Sophomore VP of Public Relations Elise Davidson says, “It was amazing to make a positive impact on all of those kids, it was a huge joy to see their faces light up when they opened their gifts.”
This event is always so incredibly special for DECA members, being able to see the joy on the kids’ and teachers’ faces first hand. One of the first grade teachers even went around giving the high schoolers hugs out of appreciation. DECA advisor Amanda Fields always loves this event, stating, “This has become an annual highlight for all of us. I am so incredibly proud of our Hamilton students for their giving spirit and how well they interact with the first graders. I always get a flood of permission slips turned in within less than 24 hours as so many of our members want to make sure they can participate. This also means the world to the first-graders. Students at Gaenslen will sometimes pass me in the hall when we arrive and talk about the year that we came for their class, which shows how big of an impact this has on those kids.”
