Students learn lessons of giving

Benjamin Grove

Friday, Dec. 11, 1998 | 11:35 a.m.

Third-grader Niko Gracia used glitter and glue to put the finishing touches on a paper Christmas ornament and then pasted it to a holiday gift box.

"The boxes are for people who can't afford Christmas, to help them and their families," the 8-year-old said. "I like helping people."

Gracia's class at Robert Lake Elementary School decorated 12 cardboard boxes Thursday under the direction of art teacher Teresa Testa. Pupils at the school are collecting canned goods for the boxes, bound for 12 of the school's needy families. Teachers are buying them turkeys.

"We've been teaching the students that service is something you give of yourself, that it's something you should do every day of the year, just because you are able to do it," Testa said.

Lake's holiday food drive is one of many in the Clark County School District. Schools encourage the public to contribute. Among the other drives:

-- Pupils at Kirk Adams Elementary, 580 Fogg St., are collecting blankets for the Salvation Army and toys for Shade Tree women's shelter, through Dec. 15.

-- Staff members at Crestwood Elementary School, 1300 Pauline Way, are collecting canned food for five needy families for holiday meals.

-- Dorothy Eisenberg and Marc Khare Elementary Schools are holding a clothing drive through next week to collect donations for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Southern Nevada. Donations can be left at either school office, 7770 Delhi Ave. and 7887 W. Gowan Road.

-- George Harris Elementary School, 3620 S. Sandhill, is holding a coat drive through Dec. 16. Coats will be taken to area homeless shelters.

-- Students at Ulis Newton Elementary School, 571 Greenway Rd., Henderson, are trying to collect one ton of food for the Salvation Army by Dec. 16. Students already have collected 534 pounds of non-perishable food items.

-- Students at Betsy Rhodes Elementary, 7350 Teal Wood St., will be collecting canned food for the Salvation Army through Dec. 15.

-- Harriet Treem Elementary School, 1698 Patrick Lane, Henderson, is collecting clothes, household items, books and toys to be donated to M.A.S.H. Village, Shade Tree and Safe House.

-- Student leaders at Thurman White Middle School this fall coordinated the collection of "three truckloads" of food and clothing for 70 families at M.A.S.H. Village.

-- Students, teachers and staff at William Orr Middle School collected food for two months to provide Thanksgiving dinners to 57 needy families in the Orr neighborhood. The Orr Student Council purchased turkeys. School staffers delivered some of the goods to homes.

-- Marion Earl Elementary School held a food drive Nov. 30 through Dec. 4. Food was donated to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.

-- Claude & Stella Parson Elementary's PTA food drive, which ended Dec. 4, filled several boxes full of can goods that were delivered to a local rescue mission.