Perry’s winter wonderland

A+Stugo+volunteer+and+a+child+from+the+smiles+for+the+season+event+sled+down+the+fake+snow+station+they+had+set+up+on+Wednesday%2C+December+7th.+Shot+by+Cole+Simpson.

A Stugo volunteer and a child from the smiles for the season event sled down the fake snow station they had set up on Wednesday, December 7th. Shot by Cole Simpson.

Even though radio stations are blasting the classic “Winter Wonderland” song, it is not exactly the words one would use to describe Gilbert Arizona this time of year, except in one place: The pit behind the bleachers of the football field on Dec. 7. A section of the small hill glistened with packed snow for the annual Smiles for the Season event that Student Government (StuGo) and National Honor Society (NHS) put together each year.

Every December, approximately 60 elementary school students, from kindergarteners to sixth-graders, come to Perry to enjoy a day full of winter-themed activities. This year, twenty students each from Galveston, Hartford and Humphrey Elementary attended.

This year, StuGo and NHS put together a wide range of activities, including crafts, a bounce house, pony rides, and sledding. Pom and Cheer welcomed the students, and Moveo taught them a dance to “Frosty the Snowman.” Choir also performed, and the children were able to take pictures with Santa.

The head of the “Smiles” committee is Lilla Brandt, who instructed Perry students to “make them have the best day ever.” She added that “this is a selfless thing we’re doing.”

The children certainly appeared to be having the best day ever, as they chased each other around the field with their high school buddy, laughing all the way.

One first grader from Hartford stated shyly that her favorite part of the day had been the crafts. Another explained she enjoyed the sledding the most. Sledding seemed to be one of the more popular attractions, but in Arizona, that certainly does not come as a surprise.

StuGo senior Daniela Bastidas, who was dressed up as one of Santa’s elves, said that her favorite part of the day was “handing out the gifts to all the kids.” She added, “You see their faces light up” and that it was “precious to see.”

The committee for the Smiles for the Season has been preparing since the beginning of the quarter. It was certainly worthwhile, to see all the children laughing and playing in the makeshift winter wonderland.