What Do You Want for Christmas?

MERCER, WI - by Connie Swanson - Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - That was the question that Ms. Swanson asked students in grades K-12 as part of her business courses. Students in keyboarding in grade 7, media literacy in grade 8, and a variety of high school business courses, teamed up with the K-8th graders to write letters to Santa. This was part of the “Believe” campaign sponsored by Macy’s department stores.

According to information on the Macy’s website, children across the country are writing letters, addressing them to Santa, affixing a stamp, and dropping them off at a Santa Mail letterbox at a Macy’s store. For each letter received, Macy’s donates $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 million dollars.

Mercer students learned what the Make-A-Wish foundation was...a foundation that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The younger students dictated their letters to the older students. The older students then keyed in the letters, learned how to address envelopes, and stamped them. Ms. Swanson delivered the letters to a Macy’s mailbox.

Thank you to the teachers and students for all the effort they put into the campaign. The Mercer PTSA donated the stamps for this campaign. Mercer contributed just over 100 letters, meaning over $100 to Make-A-Wish. In their letters, many students thanked Santa for the gifts from last year, but included a wish for the sick children.

Mrs. Powers looks on as her 3rd graders write their letters.

Brooklyn Anderson, a first grader, dictates her letter to Ms. Swanson

Mrs. Nuce helps Sally Scheels with a spelling word

Fourth graders use the computers to key their letters

Joshua Klopatek is really thinking hard about what to tell Jefferson Alvey to write for him