Posted on 12/20/2017
We sometimes forget just how important teachers are to the positive growth of the children in our community, especially when we get busy over the holidays. But the Francis Howell Middle School Family and Community Engagement, or FACE Team, is keeping them in mind even during the busy Christmas season. With just the gift of their time and talents, these parents are making the holidays more special for teachers by wrapping any gifts teachers brought in that day.
“I do it just to give back,” said Sara Eickhoff, a parent of a seventh grader at FHMS. It’s her second year joining in the wrap-athon, and she couldn’t be happier to do it. “Teachers do so much for my kids, so I just want to help.”
It may have begun as something small, but it’s now an FHMS tradition. “I actually had this project passed down to me,” said Rachel Spirer. Her hands kept moving as she spoke, (somehow) managing to put a decorative ribbon around a wrapped present in an effortless way. Her son will graduate FHMS in the spring, and he takes pride in his mother’s generosity, which makes her happy. Spirer’s daughter will be coming in next year, however, so there’s no need for any teachers to fret over losing her wrapping touch. “(The former organizer) knew I would be here for six years, and I was passed the torch.” Watching her work proves Spirer is an excellent successor. “I have told Dr. Huff that he has me for six years … whether he wants me or not.”
The gift-wrapping day was started by the FACE team, a parent involvement team that began as a grassroots effort with a few parents, but has grown into an army of support for the school. Julie Oppermann is another of the volunteers, and has been doing this for five years. She has a seventh grader at FHMS and a sophomore at FHHS. “A group of ladies wanted to do something nice for teachers,” she said, “and they had a gift for gift wrapping.” Oppermann joked she had a lot to learn from these pros when she decided to join them. “I came in not knowing anything about wrapping – I was always the gift bag kind of gal. That day, I picked out a curly cue ribbon, and one gal told me sternly, ‘We do not use curly cue ribbon.’ So she taught me how to do the bows. It’s a newfound skill, and now my husband is like, ‘Seriously, Julie, you’re wrap something this nice for a 3-year-old?”
The volunteers don’t take the opportunity to help lightly. “It’s the season of giving,” Oppermann said, “and these teachers – and all of us – are really busy. This is just something nice that I can do, that doesn’t cost me anything but a little of my time. And I enjoy the camaraderie that it’s brought.”
Spirer loves that the community has stepped up to donate ribbons and other decorative items they felt the volunteers could use. “It’s so nice to see how much the teachers appreciate it,” she said, “and the generosity of people (in providing wrapping materials). It definitely shows it’s more of a community effort.”
All of these ladies believe that the teachers deserve to know they are valued by parents, and the community at large, something they don’t always get to experience. “I can’t say enough about teachers in this District, in this school particularly,” Oppermann said. Her kids have been with FHSD throughout their education. “These teachers are fabulous. They give a lot of themselves to the kids, and as an engaged parent, this is the least I can do.”