Cooper Middle Students Help Celebrate Spirit of Giving in Falls Church

By Jason Spencer

About 50 eighth-grade journalists from Cooper Middle School in McLean this month spread holiday cheer and the spirit of giving to youngsters at Pine Spring Elementary School in the greater Falls Church area.

Each year, Cooper eighth-graders throw a holiday party for kindergartners at Pine Spring, many of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or are English language learners, according to Mary Shaw, a Fairfax County Public Schools spokeswoman.

The Cooper students plan the party and get to school early to put up decorations — transforming the Pine Spring cafeteria into a "winter wonderland," according to Lindsay Bovenzi, a journalism teacher at Cooper.

The kindergartners sing holiday songs, and then the students young and old decorate cookies together and work on seasonal art projects.

At the end of the party, the Cooper students give each kindergartner a wrapped gift that the younger student had previously "wished" for, Bovenzi told Patch in an email.

"It was an event filled with true holiday spirit and giving," she stated.