Woodshop students' wares will be auctioned Tuesday

St. Charles East High School's annual holiday toy drive for children at Mooseheart returns next week with wooden wagons, rocking chairs and dozens of other hand-crafted goodies.

Altogether, 50 creations from the school's woodshop classes will be auctioned Tuesday, with proceeds going to buy toys and gift cards for more than 200 students at the school for children in need.

Principal Bob Miller, who launched the program five years ago, said he won't be surprised if students top the $8,000 raised last year.

"Every year, it gets bigger and more and more elaborate," he said. "The kids just do some awesome stuff."

This year's auction lot includes kitchen cabinets, upholstered office chairs, rockers, sleds, holiday decor and numerous other creations.

Item viewing is at 1:30 p.m. in the Little Theater, 1020 Dunham Road, with bidding starting at 2:30 p.m.

Senior Bill Diamond, who is participating for the fourth consecutive year, said he hopes the intricate pine blanket chest he designed this year brings in between $400 and $500. With the auction in mind, Diamond said he tries to build increasingly elaborate items each year.

"It's really a time for everybody to come together as a class and see if we can raise more money than we did the last year," Diamond said.

The auction proceeds are used to buy one Christmas gift for each of the 130 or so Mooseheart elementary students. An additional 100 students at upper levels get gift cards or money. The toys are picked out by the students themselves and bought from Toys R Us in St. Charles.

The delivery is usually a moving occasion, with the students, teachers and Miller -- dressed as Santa Claus, of course -- swarming Mooseheart with loads of toys.

"It's something else," Diamond said. "It really makes their Christmas."