Port Burwell Public School hosts Santa, serves turkey

Port Burwell Public School Junior Kindergarten pupil Starr Simmons, left, greeted Santa Claus with a hug during the school’s annual Christmas Lunch on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Later in the afternoon, pupils at the school performed their annual Christmas concert for parents, grandparents as well as other family and friends. The VIP (Very Involved Parents) council, a group of volunteers, has organized, staged and served the lunch for the past 15 years. Every class at the school provided something for the meal whether it was cheese, crackers, vegetables or desserts. Pupils in the Grade 6 class peel the potatoes every year as a “rite of passage,” Principal Linda Westaway said, as they will move onto Straffordville Public School the next year. The Grade 6s also buddy-up with Kindergarten pupils to help them with their plates of food. The school staff take up a collection to buy the turkeys themselves and most if not all of the rest of the food for the lunch is donated by members of the community.