By: Ariana Oaks

     This year Eisenhower has planned several activities to celebrate the holidays and give back to the community. Many clubs have teamed up with faculty members to put on fun activities for students and staff to participate in this holiday season. They have also organized drives to give back and connect to the community. The Squire interviewed a few of the individuals that organized these events to get further information.

Blood Drive:

     As in many years prior, the senior class held a blood drive for students and faculty to participate in, which took place took place on Monday, December 12 and had over 30 participants. Mrs. Criswell and the senior class were thrilled with how many people were eager to donate. The blood donated is used for trauma patients and individuals in need of a blood transfusion. The Squire spoke with Mrs. Criswell about the event. She shared,“I had the opportunity to donate when I was in high school, and it is nice to see that over the years the tradition is still going strong… Donating blood did make me feel like I was really making a difference.  Anyone who donates blood is a hero in my book!” Blood drives are a great way to give back and help others.

Holiday Movie Day:

     Typically, only middle schoolers are permitted to have a movie day before winter break, but this year Mrs. Holeva, the Vice Principal, has extended that privilege to the high school as well. As she says, holiday movies should be enjoyed by everyone. Students signed up in lunch for which movie they would like to watch. The movies were viewed during sixth and seventh period on Thursday December 22. The Squire spoke with Mrs. Holeva about her plans for future days like this. She explained, “We are hoping that students will continue to follow the IKE Expectations so we can have additional fun days throughout the year.”

Food Drive:

     This year, Mr. Leonhardt, along with the students in Key Club and National Honor Society, organized a school wide food drive. The drive runs for about two weeks, but there is a lot of work put into organizing it before it can happen. The food collected is donated to several families in need around the area the week before Christmas. The Squire spoke with Mr. Leonhardt about how the drive works. He explained, “Although those two student organizations are in charge of the food drive, it couldn’t happen without the support of the entire faculty and staff and the donations brought in by our EMHS students and their families.” Mr. Leonhardt and the students in these clubs did an amazing job organizing the drive.

Door Decorating Contest:

     The door decorating contest has been a tradition at Eisenhower for many years. The Student Council holds this contest as a fun activity for advisory classes to participate in before winter break. Typically, the judge is handpicked by the Student Council, but this year they are allowing the students to vote on their favorite door. Students had until December 21 to complete their doors, and judging began the following day. A food party will be awarded to the winning class after the break. Kayla Welch, the student representative from Student Council was asked by The Squire what her favorite part of the contest is. She replied, “The contest is something I look forward in participating in every year and I hope Student Council continues this tradition for new students to experience every year… watching the process of the doors and everyone joining in and participating is amazing.”Hopefully this tradition continues and allows future students to enjoy it as well.

     The students and faculty at Eisenhower this year have done a great job organizing drives to give back to the community, as well as fun activities for everyone to join in on before winter break. Everyone involved is looking forward to continuing these traditions for years to come.