Students, teachers, and families that live in and love the Milford and Highland Communities have been grieving the closing of Apollo Elementary and Highland Middle School. For some, much of their childhood was spent at one or both of these beloved schools. As the holidays approach, nostalgia fills the air, memories are shared and spirits are lifted.

To bring a little piece of Highland Middle back to Milford, Milford High School has inherited the ‘Giving Tree” from the middle school. The tree is set up in the Commons, where it will be noticeable, and where all the students gather before and after school. The tree is expected to get a lot of love in this big school.

There are oversized presents with holes carved in the top where people can drop off old gloves, hats, scarves, coats, and any other winter gear one can think of. If you donate, you can write your name on a decoration and it will be hung on the tree. The goal is to get the whole tree decorated before the fundraiser ends on Dec. 15. All the wintertime gear will be given to the Apollo Sharing Center.

“Huron Valley is such a tightly-knit, family-oriented district,” shares Senior, Zoe Berg. “I think it’s great to be positively contributing to families in need. When we all give something back it’s a great feeling.”

As a former student of Highland Middle School, Berg is really enthusiastic about this fundraiser, and she isn’t the only one.

Kathy Olgeirsson, the activities director at Milford High School, and the Leadership students have worked diligently to set up the tree and make posters to promote it and to get people involved and donating. Olgeirsson is really excited about the tree and hopes other people will be excited too.

“Everyone can give to the giving tree,” she said. “It’s open to teachers, students, families, everyone!”

Leadership students, Ashley Carpenter and Bailey Kelel are in charge of the fundraiser. There were some worries about how it would all work because it’s the first time they have tried something like this. They realize that it’s hard for students to spend their own money on gifts for people.

“This will be an easy way to give students the satisfaction that they helped someone,” stated Senior, Ashley Carpenter. “We have never done it before, but we think it’s important to be a role model for other schools, so we will see how it goes!”

There are already signs that this will be a success. Mr. Myers, one of Milford High’s teachers, has already donated two garbage bags full of clothes and other teachers and students are becoming enthusiastic about the whole idea.

The Giving Tree is a great way to help people in need during the holiday season, and the hope for this to work shows how caring everyone in a community can be. Hopefully, this idea can encourage even the Scrooges of the holiday season to donate this year.