Students ‘Making it Real’ focus on connections, feelings
Daniela Vazquez
Staff writer
12-15-2016
GUNNISON—The “12 Days of Making it Real” is underway for students at Gunnison Valley High School (GVHS), a tradition started by students five years ago to inspire the feeling of giving.
“The 12 Days of Making it Real gets us into the spirit of the season,” Melissa Judy, student council advisor, said. “It’s meant to focus, not on gifts, but connection and feeling.”
Tradition holds that a meaningful word will represent each of the 12 days, and the student body chooses all words. For 12 days, students will have an activity based on the word of the day.
On Friday, Dec. 9 the word was “tradition,” and students decorated sugar cookies, a tradition many households do during the season. “Happiness” was celebrated with games in the commons area.
The 12th day will be on Friday and celebrated with the phrase “Good Cheer.” Various groups and clubs will perform songs and dances for the student body. This day also marks the beginning of Christmas break.
Throughout the 12 days, students collected donations for Sub for Santa. About 40 kids from nine families in the community were chosen to be recipients of the gifts students collect.
If you walk into Judy’s room at GVHS, you will see several large black bags filled with gifts making it obvious that students have been working hard to help their community.
If students are unable to gather all the gifts each of the kids need, the school will purchase them with the money raised in the Santa Fun Run in November.
Principal Trevor Powell says the money will also be used to buy each of the families a Christmas dinner.
“This 12 days and Sub for Santa encompasses a bunch of things students can carry, not just during the season or in school, but throughout their lives,” Judy said.
