Every year during the month of December, my school hosts an extravagant celebration known as Holiday Festival. It has been a tradition for the past 44 consecutive years, and those who participates are very proud to represent their school in an act of care and selflessness.

At first, I was unaware of it; but in my sophomore year I decided to learn what the celebration was about. After the first meeting, I quickly realized that volunteers did not just participate in this event for the community service hours. In reality, they were hosting this festival as a way to give back to the community of less fortunate people in our state. Holiday Festival is for the little kids from the Roberto Clemente school in Paterson NJ,  who do not even come close to the luxuries we have and take for granted. They live in a neglected town with gangs and violence. Children from Paterson do not experience the peace and quiet environment that we are used to. So, as a way to show that we care about the youth, students and parents have dedicated their time and effort to put a smile on these childrens’ faces and get them in the holiday spirit.

What is the true significance of Holiday Festival? Well, Holiday Festival is a traditional community service project run by students since the early 1970s.  More than 350 students from Roberto Clemente and other schools in Paterson come to school for this holiday celebration. Each student from Paterson is assigned an escort, who will be responsible to accompany the visitor and make sure they participate in all the wonderful scheduled activities. The escort will ensure the child’s enjoyment of the festivities and be responsible for the child’s safety during his or her time in our school. Additionally, to make the celebration more enjoyable for the children, each escort personally buys their child gifts, which the child hints towards in a letter they send beforehand to their escort. This gift can be anything that the child desires and that you can afford to purchase. At the end of the day, any gift will make the child happier.

Becoming an escort is a considerably tough process, for there are many important characteristics that are desired. First, each escort needs to show character by being caring, responsible, and respectful. Second, the escorts need to become role models for their assigned children and need to understand that it is expected that Students become role models for the Paterson students. A role model is a student who does not get involved with alcohol and/or drugs and is polite and respectful. This will give the Roberto Clemente students the notion that they should follow in the footsteps of their escort and become the same polite and caring person. Additionally, escorts need to be aware of what they say and the manner that they speak in, for if someone says something bad or in a bad tone, the child may see it as acceptable and begin to copy the mentor. The third characteristic is that each escort must demonstrate commitment. Keep in mind that Holiday Festival is about providing service to those who are less fortunate, and it is a great opportunity to share and be aware of the differences in the world around us. Therefore, it is essential that all escorts be committed to their responsibilities in helping the kids feel welcomed and comfortable during their stay at school. This means that they should go out of their way to put a smile on their child’s face. Lastly, each escort should know the consequences for their behavior and abide by all the rules stated in the school’s handbook.  Any escort who fails to abide the rules will be punished by a teacher and will regret it  themselves, because they have shown bad behavior to the child who looks up to them. All of these characteristics combined create the perfect escort that will transfer his or her warmth and care to the students from the Roberto Clemente School.

Moving forward, on the day of Holiday Festival, the entire school is illuminated with glittering decorations streaming the hallways, waiting to greet the children. There are people dressed up as Disney characters, parents giving out candy, and plentiful activities to be completed. Upon arrival to the school, all the energized visitors pour into the auditorium, where they will be emerged into the holiday atmosphere with a two hour interactive play that the children will love. This year, the production was about Disney princesses and fairies. The performance was spectacular and made the children’s faces glow from happiness, like they were covered in sparkling fairy dust. After the performance, the children move into the gymnasium, where they are greeted with all the bouncy houses and sport shoutouts they can imagine. Each escort moves around with their child and makes sure that he or she fulfills his or her list of desired attractions. After bouncing around for an hour or so, the children are ready for a well deserved lunch. The escorts guide their child to the assigned classroom, and wait for them to eat his or her lunch. The classrooms are filled with various decorations, which add to the enjoyable atmosphere for the children. After lunch, the happy children move onto more festivities, which include picking out a stuffed animal, books, and other gifts of their choice for their loved ones, partying in the cafeteria, and taking pictures with Santa Claus. When all the festivities come to an end, the excited children are sent back to their buses to be driven home, where they can tell their parents all about their extravagant day which they will remember for the rest of their lives.

I can safely say that Holiday Festival is a one of a kind celebration that brings warmth and holiday spirit to everyone.