Was this years collection of toys for the Santa’s Sleigh Project successful?

The grand total of collected toys was three hundred and twenty three toys which seems like a lot, but, “we are down from past years,” says Erika Bernard the new adviser of the Varsity Club.

The totals for each grade are as follows: 52 toys from the freshman class, eight from the sophomore class, 168 from the junior class, and 95 from the senior class. In 2015 we collected over seven hundred and ten toys.

Why are we down this year?

Bernard isn’t sure. “Maybe it’s because it happened during the same week as Deck the Halls,” she suggested. It’s also possible that some teachers don’t read the Daily Bulletin to their homerooms. It could be possible that people don’t really know where the toys are going, or maybe it’s apathy from the Varsity Club students themselves.

“Start it earlier,” was a suggestion made by senior Megan Butler. “Have the teachers or students constantly bring it up,” suggested senior Ally McLellan.

The Varsity Club collected toys from Monday, November 27th to Tuesday, December 12. Twenty-four of the Varsity Club students brought the toys to the United Way located at the Aroostook Centre Mall. The students spent a few hours there organizing the toys into different piles based on age group and gender. “I put all the science toys on the girls side,” said Bernard. Presque Isle High School brought around three hundred, but when they got there there were “a lot a lot a lot a lot of toys,” said senior Maddie Wing. “It was a really interesting experience, and it opens your eyes to see how much it will impact people to get a Christmas gift,” Wing commented.   

So was it a flop or not? For the sophomore class we can definitely call that a flop, but for the kids all over The County who will now receive a toy for Christmas, it is a success and something they will always remember.