Neuqua elves toiling away for underprivileged children

For the last few weeks, Neuqua Valley High School's wood shop has been transformed into Santa's workshop - quite literally.

Since mid-November, about 40 students taking Woods I have been busy building tic-tac-toe boards, building-block sets and wooden dolls to donate to the district's Alliance for the Children charity project.

"It's a really fun project since we got to pick and design the toys we would be making so it's new and different," said junior Brian Williams, whose team was building more than 20 tic-tac-toe boards. "At the same time, we know these are going to underprivileged children in the area, so that feels good."

Shop teacher Derek Kaminski said it's been fun watching the students select their toys, research how to make them and build them.

"It's been fun to watch, but I'm kind of bored too," he joked. "They just jumped on this project and went to it like they don't even need me."

Seniors Ariel Cartwright and Kelly Goldstein are on the tech team for the theater department so they know their way around a saw. They, too, were excited to be building several "Jenga"-like games for the charity.

"It's cool that just next week all of our toys will be gathered up and delivered to the children," Cartwright said. "We just hope they enjoy them."

Since 1998, Neuqua Valley has participated in the Alliance for Children program, which science teacher Paula Mueller said has evolved into a "monumental powerhouse of giving."

"I can't think of a more direct way of kids helping kids," Mueller said. "We've been participating in the program for 11 years with tremendous results and this is the first year we've had students making the toys in addition to dropping off donations."

The program collects new toys and clothing to be given to local children as well as to needy families in the Appalachian Mountain areas of West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia.

Students plan to finish their toys and prepare them for donation Friday morning.