Adopt-a-Family at Shepard

Like every student and adults who gives to Adopt-a-Family at Shepard High School, special education teacher Kris LaRocco seeks no attention. People rarely give to charity to receive recognition.

They like joining their friends to help the needy. They like feeling part of something larger than themselves. Or they like how it feels to give. For teachers, they also like getting kids involved in works that benefit others.

Whatever the reason, those who organize philanthropies tend to shy away from cameras. LaRocco, then, offered a typical portrait of people who help Adopt-a-Family succeed: Alone listening to holiday music, she folded gently-used clothes that families would receive the following day.

She stopped only when a camera bag appeared.

“You’re not taking my picture, right?” she asked, laughing.

After the day’s final bell, teachers and students streamed into the room with boxes of food and bags of presents.

Before leaving for the staff holiday party, LaRocco and fellow teachers Erin McLean and Brad Fisher and National Honor Society students organized all the donations.

Teacher Erin Quinlan and her students baked cookies. But not for the volunteers – families coming to pick up donations would get the treats and some hot chocolate.

In all, the scene could not have captured the season much better. Nice people doing something nice, getting teenagers involved, and continuing a school tradition of three decades.