During the holiday season McCaskey likes to donate to local organizations, embracing traditions new and old. 

For the first year, the Mitten Tree Project will be run in the JP and East IMCs by one of the school’s new librarians, Mrs. Cashdollar. She got the idea for a mitten tree in McCaskey from other libraries in Lancaster having one; it comes from the children’s book, The Mitten Tree, where the main character knits mittens for children.  

“I have no idea what to expect,” Mrs. Cashdollar said in regards to the amount of donations we’ll receive. Despite her concerns, both libraries in JP and East are doing well with what they’ve received. Donations are coming in from students and even many teachers. 

What’s received will be going to places like Families in Transition and a cold weather shelter downtown. Families in Transition is an organization that partners with the School District of Lancaster which supplies students with clothing, toiletries, and the like while transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. 

 Our classic one is the annual Holiday Homeroom Challenge which has been run by Mr. Deardorff for the past 20 years. The Holiday Homeroom Challenge is essentially an ongoing food drive with the collected donations going to the Water Street Mission for four years. It collects non-perishable foods and has been super successful in gathering over 100,000 pounds of food across its 20 years. 

I’ve heard many students eager to donate not only for the cause but also for potential prizes. The prizes are doughnuts or pizza for homerooms who collect either more than 75 or 250 pounds of food. Some students have said that they wish they could bring in more than what they’re able to for both the prizes, and people in need. 

It is always an amazing time to give back to those less fortunate than us so it’s good to take advantage of the opportunities McCaskey gives us to do that.