Mrs. Claus brings sweet treats to students on nice list
Special to Leader-Press
Ho, ho, ho turned into hee, hee, hee for students at Williams/Ledger Elementary who are on Santa’s nice and not naughty list.
Students earn Hoot Loot for making good choices, being responsible and showing kindness to and respect to others. With enough Hoot Loot saved, the students bought a ticket to the sweetest treat of the year…the 2nd Annual Cookies with Mrs. Claus event.
As students arrived to the cafeteria, they were greeted by teacher Debbie Payne who filled the role of the wife of jolly ol’ Saint Nick. The activity was started by WLE Coach Darlene Zoggas.
"I've always done Cookies with Mrs. Claus with my own kids, family members' kids and kids of friends,” Zoggas said. “Once I started working at WLE, I wanted to continue this tradition with the students here. “
Students squealed with excitement as they grabbed a sugar cookie and a small cup of frosting and picked their favorite chair. As they spread the frosting on their cookies, their toughest choice was selecting which sprinkles with which to decorate. For third grader Ailyn Harper, this was her most memorable part of the event.
"It was cool that we got to put the frosting and sprinkles on our own cookies,” she said. “The cookies were yummy. It was my favorite part."
Teachers walked around to help students with their cookies as Mrs. Claus wished each student a Merry Christmas. Once their cookies were created, students were welcomed to eat them and fully enjoy the reward.
For Zoggas, her reward of organizing the event each year is sweeter than the cookie itself.
“Days after making their own cookies, students are still talking about the event,” Zoggas said. “We have some (students) that have never made a sugar cookie. So, watching them create their masterpieces is rewarding!"