When this article releases, it will be Christmas Eve. Tonight, hundreds of children in the tritowns will go to bed dreaming of Santa Claus visiting during the night with his sack of toys. While teens and adults know that St. Nicholas doesn’t shimmy down their chimnies every December 24 (especially after his tomb was unearthed earlier this month), many of them still do what they can to keep the magic of Santa alive for little children.
And for some Frederick High students, that means taking their inner elf off the shelf.
Every year, Frederick’s chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) comes together one day after school to read letters to Santa written by students at Thunder Valley K-12 and Alpine Elementary. Then, they write back to each letter as one of Santa’s elves.
Government teacher Jami Reveille, the faculty sponsor of NHS, said, “This activity got started because one of my old students that I used to teach became a first grade teacher, and they did these things where the kids would write letters to Santa and that they would get their letter back with a reply from the elves.”
The members of NHS love doing this every year because the kids get so excited when they get their letters back. They also have a lot of fun writing these letters and giving them back to the kids.
Senior Malia Jeffers said, “So far, the kids are asking for video games and stuffed animals. I respond as an elf by answering them with holiday wishes and answering any questions they might have. I enjoy writing these letters because it gives Christmas joy, and kids should preserve that as long as they can.”
In each letter, kids put what they want for Christmas and all the other things that they would like to say to Santa in their letters. The “elves” are careful to not make any promises to the kids but find ways to still give them hope for a perfect Christmas.
Freshman Judah Stanton said, “This year, a lot of kids are asking for iPads and phones. I respond to them by saying that I will give Santa a good word for you. I enjoy writing these letters because it spreads holiday cheer!”
The National Honors Society is one of Frederick’s five honor societies, which are invite-only national programs for students that show impressive leadership and academic qualities. To be invited to join Frederick’s National Honors Society, students need to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and once accepted, they must keep their grades high and engage in a certain amount of community service to keep their good standing. Typically, students are invited in the second semester of their freshman, sophomore, or junior year.
