For years on end, the LHS main lobby was all decked out with holiday decorations during the month of Dec. Each class would compete to see who could make the best scene. But this year, the executive council decided to do something a little different.

Senior class president, Liz Iaconis, says that she and her comrades, 2018 class president Jeff Cieslikowski and 2020 class president Kerry Daley, have been trying to switch up this tradition for years, but couldn’t quite figure out what to do or how to do it.

“I think the hardest part was trying to bring to life what I’d been talking with Jeff and Kerry about for a couple years now,” Iaconis said. “We wanted to change traditions, and it was just about finding the right time and people.”

After many debates and discussions, class presidents decided to band together and do something that could benefit the whole town and not just LHS students.

“We wanted to introduce a more wholesome idea that brought the school and community together,” Cieslikowski said.

The idea? Donation bins.

Executive council made the decision to have each class decorate a donation bin instead of the standard scene competition.

“I hope that we’ll be able to give back a little bit this holiday season because there are so many people who could us just a little bit of help,” Iaconis said. “Instead of putting money and time into something that doesn’t last, we can make an impact in the community.”

Each of the classes, through their class reps, chose a charity they would like to donate to this season, keeping in mind a cause that matters to them.

The freshman chose the Upper Room in Derry; the sophomores chose the Backpack program created by house 1; the juniors are doing the Sonshine Soup Kitchen, and the seniors are doing the Blessing Box created by LHS graduate Kayla Vanagel and being continued by her sister Haley for her senior project.

Check out the main lobby and see the bins for yourself! There are “wish lists” with each of the boxes if you are struggling to figure out what to donate. If you don’t have time to go out and buy something, cash donations will be accepted not in the bins but to teachers specified on the bins.

For more information on the charities involved, check out our upcoming magazine!