The Mirenda Center lobby turned into a winter wonderland as Knights for Education and the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society hosted Story Time with Santa on December 3rd. Under the direction of club advisor, Dr. Janelle Abnett, assistant professor of Education, this honored Neumann tradition was able to continue with a new twist.
For years, the Neumann community had celebrated Breakfast with Santa, but the groups thought it would be fun to try something new this year. According to Abnett, “The clubs decided to focus on what the kids would like. The students worked hard to design a special Christmas-themed hour with crafts, stories, and Santa.” Abnett was impressed with the Knights for Education board, including President Lauren Retkovis, Vice President Santina Talota, Secretary Miranda Foglio, and Treasurer Megan Snyder, who took charge and made sure this event was a success.
The club's efforts did not go unnoticed. The event offered a variety of activities for families to enjoy. Children could create Christmas ornaments, listen to stories read by members of the two groups, play Grincho (the holiday version of plinko), enjoy an assortment of delicious treats, create hot chocolate packages to be donated to those in need, watch the Boogie Knights Dance Club perform, enter raffles for prizes, and most importantly visit Santa and deliver their Christmas list.
“As the event happened, the breakfast was not missed,” said Abnett. “Parents were happy.”
Many people were invited to this celebration including alumni, faculty/staff family, and the surrounding community. “I heard a story Saturday of a young mom who said she came as a teen with her younger sisters,” recalled Abnett. “It’s nice for Neumann to connect to the Aston Community. There was even a 2014 education graduate who brought her daughter this year.” Neumann enjoys welcoming home alums and meeting those who live in the surrounding area, she explained. Keeping those connections over the years is what makes this event so special.
Another reason this tradition is special is that it gives back to those in need. Admission to the event includes each family donating a toy for the number of children attending in their group. Those gifts are then donated to Saint Francis Inn, which helps needy families in Kensington provide gifts for their children.
With this new format, the club achieved many goals. According to Dr. Abnett they maxed out their reservations, raised money, received toys, and made gifts for St. Francis Inn. Because the feedback was so positive, they plan to do the story time again next year the same way. Retkovis mentioned that the clubs learned a lot from this experience and that next year they plan to have more crafts and other fun activities as well.
There were many memorable moments at the event. Dr. Abnett’s favorite memory of the day was watching the college students read to an attentive group of children hanging on to their every word.
Retkovis enjoyed seeing the children’s excitement over meeting Santa. “We had so many kids go up for their picture and to show him their Christmas list, and then later come back to say hi and get a hug from him. They were so excited, and their happiness filled the room,” she said.
Snyder agreed with Retkovis’s sentiment. Snyder was also happy with how well everyone worked together and noted that everyone was proud of how the event turned out.
Foglio’s favorite part was also seeing their hard work come to fruition and to see the successful outcome of the event. “Seeing the children have so much fun was really what it was for. This event was a blast, and I cannot wait to do it again!”
The overall reaction was that everyone enjoyed the event and looks forward to making it bigger and better next year.
To get involved in the Knights for Education Club, follow their Instagram, nu_knightsforeducation. Anyone is welcome to join this club. It is not just for education majors.