Spring Street International School students spread holiday cheer

Spring Street International School students spent their last day before the holiday break baking, caroling and creating cards for the community. More than 40 handmade Christmas cards and 30 plates of cookies were given to area friends, neighbors and businesses Dec. 19. Students baked and decorated dozens of sugar cookies. Gingerbread men complete with suits and smiles were stacked onto plates ready for delivery.

By Ann Templeton Monin • December 24, 2008 12:35 pm
Spring Street International School students put the finishing touches on cookies and cards for the community. The students distributed the holiday cheer and sang carols in the community before going on holiday break.
Spring Street International School students put the finishing touches on cookies and cards for the community. The students distributed the holiday cheer and sang carols in the community before going on holiday break.

Spring Street International School students spent their last day before the holiday break baking, caroling and creating cards for the community.

More than 40 handmade Christmas cards and 30 plates of cookies were given to area friends, neighbors and businesses Dec. 19. Students baked and decorated dozens of sugar cookies. Gingerbread men complete with suits and smiles were stacked onto plates ready for delivery.

Teens grabbed gloves, hats and songbooks and braved the snow and ice to sing carols around town. Carols were sung at Islands Convalescent Center, October House and Village at the Harbour. Traditional carols were sung in Latin, Spanish and English.

Spreading holiday cheer among area neighbors and businesses has been a Spring Street tradition for 13 years. This special community service day is dedicated to thanking islanders for supporting the school.

Peg Hope, founder of Spring Street International School, expressed her appreciation for the parents who give of their time to support students. Staff members are appreciative of the tasty treats provided by parents during weekly faculty meetings.

Louis O’Prussack, director of Spring Street International School, believes it’s important that students understand the importance of giving back to others. He referred to the passage in President Kennedy’s inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

“We need to move away from the ‘me’ generation to one that looks first outward, than inward. For the past 30 years, the focus has been, ‘What can you do for me’,” O’Prussack said.

Every year, students travel to Asia to assist with service projects, such as distributing food for homeless people and bringing sustainable electricity to isolated villages.

This year, student will continue to help establish a school in a village outside Sarnath, India. Hope said funds have been raised to educate more than 100 children. Spring Street students will continue to help assist in hands-on building and teaching of children.