Hewlett Elementary School students filled a truck with holiday spirit

Students at Hewlett Elementary School were feeling the giving spirit this holiday season. They gathered in the building’s lobby on Dec. 20 around the boxes of toys and hand-decorated gift bags they had put together for the school’s first holiday toy drive.

It came together as a collaborative effort that included teachers, parents and students, most of whom are involved with the school’s Student Council. The students, with some help, carried all the toys and bags out to the van driven by an employee of Chai Lifeline, a nonprofit organization that works with children battling cancer.

Principal Christopher Uccellini thanked the children for working to provide a better holiday season for kids who could use some cheer. “We wanted to do what we could for kids in need,” he said. Adding that several kids had given up their recesses to decorate the bags they donated.

Uccellini said the toys would be distributed to the five largest hospitals in New York City. The students had been excused from class to help pack the van, so after a quick moment to bask in what they’ve done they scurried back inside the building back.