Gallery • 9 Photos

photo or infographic by Blaine Eckert

DEAR SANTA. Playing the role of the man in red, automotive teacher Alan Hammond plays a big role in Christmas in the Barn.

The little pitter-patter of tiny feet and jolly Christmas music filled the agriculture barn when various school-sanctioned organizations came together to celebrate good tidings for the children of Willis.

Wildkats and their families celebrated Christmas at the Barn On Dec. 2. In an effort to inform children and parents about the programs Willis offers, while still offering a good time.

“We brought ornaments and snacks and let the kids decorate and eat,” junior Riley Heffernan said. “We had kids dump glitter everywhere and paint things. My favorite part about the experience was getting to hang out with little kids because they are the sweetest.”

The law program maintained a presence at the event. They borrowed a police car from the station and let the kids explore the bells and whistles of the vehicle.

“I was there with the rest of the law program to show kids the ins and outs of law enforcement,” junior Monica Hernandez said. “I feel like this benefits the community because we taught children how things are done in the real world, outside of elementary school. They were very curious about the police car and every kid jumped at the sound of the horn.”

The Robotiks program was set up at the end of the barn and brought their tools. Children got to drive a homemade robot.

“I was there representing robotiks. We were able to let the children experience the fun of driving a robot for the first time in their life,” junior Hannah East said. “The world is evolving a lot towards technology. Knowing how to code or work with tech is becoming increasingly more important as society modernizes.”

While the goal of the night was to show the community what Willis offers, the outcome ended up being smiles and snacks.

“I made 120 little funnel cakes the night of Christmas at the Barn,” science teacher Theresa Menges said. “Even though some of my funnel cakes came out a little misshapen, I still had fun giving back to the community.”