Montrose School Students Give Back

Montrose makes Toys for Tots a priority during the annual Secret Santa week run by Student Government. Each day during the week leading up to Christmas break, students and faculty give a small gift to their “Secret Santa” - except for Wednesday. This day is set aside for every member of the Montrose community to bring in a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots.

Student Government President Katie Sidhu ’16 helped organize the event along with her fellow officers. “It was so inspiring to see the generosity toward Toys for Tots. Many girls came in with two and three toys,” said Katie. Retired Marine William McKorcle, grandfather of Sarah Lepsevich ’17, arrived in uniform to collect the toys and bring them to be distributed. “When Mr. McKorcle came to collect them, his van was bursting with toys. He almost had to call for backup, but we managed to pack them all in,” Katie reported.

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. Since its founding, the Toys for Tots Program has distributed over 494 million toys to over 230 million children.

This year, Montrose School, with its enrollment of just over 200 students, donated an estimated 300 toys to the cause.

Toys for Tots is not the only charitable organization that benefits from the efforts of Montrose students. Around Thanksgiving, the DeTore Chapter of the National Honor Society organized the entire student body to assemble over 200 shoeboxes to be sent to Operation Christmas Child, an organization that provides boxes of personal care items, clothing and toys to children all over the world. Furthermore, students in grade 10 asked fellow Montrosians to write letters to Santa to be delivered to Macy’s, which would donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every letter. Montrose students raised $276 for the foundation through their efforts.

Young women of faith, character and vision, Montrose students put what they learn into action at Christmas time and throughout the year.