Local & State Headlines

Santa visits students

• Turner Elementary School students get a visit from Santa Wednesday before they get out for their Christmas break.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — Santa Claus came early for nearly 500 Turner Elementary School students Wednesday, bringing with him presents and good cheer, thanks to the Parks at Chehaw.

Children lined up Wednesday morning — construction-paper deer antlers and other Christmas ornamentation adorning their heads — to talk to Santa, tell him what they wanted for Christmas, give him a thank-you note and then pick up one of the presents that the jolly elf brought.

“It’s just like you get double the presents,” fifth-grader Ieshia Wright said about the school Christmas program. “I’m going to go home and play with them.”

The students, who get out today for Christmas break, got to pick from books, dolls, toy cars and school supplies, among other things, for their presents.

Shavon Johnson, another fifth-grader, said she enjoyed Christmas at the school because the teachers also bring presents for the children.

“They just want to share a little of their love with you,” she said.

Turner Elementary and Chehaw have been partners in education for about 15 years, school Principal Patricia Gilbert-Parker said.

Chehaw has brought a Santa Claus to the school for the last several years, but this year the wild animal park was able to bring enough presents for each of the school’s 476 students, Chehaw Executive Director Doug Porter said. Because the presents were donated to the park, their cost didn’t cut into its budget, he said.

“This is way more than we usually do; all this stuff was donated,” Porter explained. The park ordinarily takes donations from its staff and faculty to put together enough goody bags for all the students, he said.

Park volunteers also come to the school occasionally to read to students or bring animals to help teach them, he said.

“(We’re) just being involved with the school to help in their education efforts,” Porter said. “We’ve ‘adopted’ them.”

Each year, the school’s faculty and staff donate three toys for the students because there are many needy families there, Assistant Principal Carrie Kirkland said. The school is doing that again this year, so the children will get extra presents, thanks to Chehaw’s contribution, she said.

“It’s all about the children and giving back, because their parents give us so much,” Gilbert-Parker said. “Chehaw is serving as the angels for the children. They’re our angels.”

More Headlines>>