Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Sweet Home Junior High eighth-graders have made a shopping trip to Eugene an annual event. But this year they decided to do more than usual.
This year 50 students qualified for the first of three Junior High Achievement Award trips by earning good grades and citizenship marks during their seventh-grade year, or by collecting enough excellent citizenship marks to be included. Students will also go on a winter cultural trip that will include some type of music or artistic performances, then go on an overnight trip to Silver Falls State Park in the spring.
Teacher Allen Buzzard, an adviser to the program, said that students this year decided to double the number of tags they would make purchases for from the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District’s Sharing Tree.
The tree contains names and gift wishes for underprivileged Sweet Home-area youngsters, some of them fellow students at the junior high.
Buzzard said he noticed a lot of unfilled tags on the Sharing Tree and told the group, “We can spend our budget on the 13 students whose tags I’ve pulled from the tree or we can reduce our budget per gift and have each shopping group shop for two children and help twice as many instead.”
Students voted unanimously to raise the bar. They had $40 to spend on each recipient this year, money that came from fund-raising events such as Oregon Jamboree shower sales, after-school snack machine sales, the junior high Fall Open House auction and spring school pictures, in which the photography company donates to the Achievement Award program.
“I was moved to tears by their generosity,” said Shirley Hansen, food service assistant at the junior high, of the eighth-graders’ decision. “I am so impressed by the maturity and selflessness of this group of eighth-graders.”
Buzzard said the group, along with some parents and other chaperones, shopped in pairs or small groups for the 31 recipients on Dec. 8 at Toys R Us, Ross Dress For Less and Valley River Center in Eugene.
They spent a total of $1,074.37 on the trip, Buzzard said.
They had a wrapping party on Monday, Dec. 11.
“We had a lot of fun figuring out what people wanted,” said Ashley Cochran, whose group shopped for girls.
Shelby Gillespie said her group bought an outfit and made a Build-A-Bear for a 7-year-old.
“We were able to meet all the needs of the (recipients) and most of their wants,” Buzzard said.
Brittany Kinder, another student who made the trip, said it was “really fun, because we got to sort of find out what people are interested in.”
She said one of the boys, 10 and 13, she and her partner were buying gifts for wanted Heelies, shoes with rollers in the heels, but they were too expensive.
“We had to come up with some other things,” she said. They bought a jacket, stickers and a Truck Dancing Machine.
D.J. Burns said he tried to come up with something his recipients would like that wasn’t too expensive.
“One kid seemed to like Legos so we bought him a lot of toys,” Burns said. “Legos are pretty cheap usually. We got him a big set for $10.”
Students who participated in the trip were Brandon Basham, Jessica Blankenship, Burns, Cochran, Rylee Cole, Ellen Coulter, Kalynn Cowger, Cody Daniels, Gillespie, Julia Gonzalez, Dakota Hesberg, Jakob Holden, Allison Howard, Zach Jackson, Morgan Jefferson, Ashley Johnson, Olivia Johnson, Tazzi Joyner, Krystal Juza, Kelika Kaniaupio, Gavin Kauffman, Kaitlin Keenon, Kinder, Courtnee King, Jenna Kistner, Maria Kropf, Kyle Lewis, Kaitlyn Long, Bethany Marner, Keenan Martin, Megan McCartin, Silvia Milburn, Zach Miller, Nich Nivison, Britney Price, James Reed, James Rice, Bayli Riggs, Donald Rinehart, Taylar Rodgers, Erin Rose, Robert Rubidoux, Alex Santana, Brady Severns, Niccole Simmonds, Rachel Terry, Rachel Thomas, Sterling Tucker and Cheryl Wilson.