Peer to peer: Ephrata high schoolers aim to brighten holiday for fellow teens

EPHRATA — Winston Roberts went in knowing exactly what he wanted, and was done shopping in no time.

Roberts was one of 10 Ephrata High School students tasked with buying gifts with money raised through the EHS Toys for Teens project. It’s a Christmas season tradition at EHS, and is based on the theory that adults often don’t have don’t have the faintest idea what to buy teens, but other teens might.

“We have teenagers buying for other teenagers,” said Toys for Teens co-advisor Jada Addink.

Co-advisor Sheila Massey said shoppers can’t buy gift cards – they must buy actual gifts.

Shoppers hit the aisles at the Ephrata Walmart Monday morning. The gifts are donated to the Ephrata Food Bank for distribution through its Christmas basket program.

A trade with another shopper made it a little easier – Roberts had to buy gifts for middle school boys. So he spent most of his money in the toy and sporting goods departments.

“I did Legos and basketballs and water bottles,” he said. “And I gave them an air pump.”

He thought about what he would enjoy getting if he was the recipient, he said.

Ephrata students spent a week raising money, and reached their $5,000 goal. Ruby Gunderson said they did better than that.

“We actually made $5,098.17.” she said. “I’m super-proud of our school for doing that.”

“One hundred percent of it (the money raised) goes for gifts for teenagers,” Jada Addink said.

Shopping wasn’t that easy for everyone.

Santino McDonnell and Chase Addink studied the shelves in sporting goods, looking for options for boys and girls.

“Another lawn game?” McDonnell said, studying the games on the shelves. “But it’s winter.”

In the end, McDowell decided against the lawn games and ended up in the electronics department, where there was a substantial stack of strings of lights. Roberts explained that it’s a trend among teens to string lights in their rooms. McDowell picked up half a dozen, and was pretty much done shopping.

Gunderson said shopping was a little more difficult than she expected, since she doesn’t always know what other kids would want. But there were some pretty safe options.

“I’d say most people my age want a hair straightener or some body wash,” she said.

Samantha MacNiel said balancing the budget was a challenge. Some things she wanted to buy were budget-busters.

“I finally figured out what to get,” she said.

The art supplies aisle turned out to give her good value for her money, she said.

Despite the occasional challenges, the teens said they liked shopping for other teens.

“It’s really cool to help some of the kids,” McDonnell said.

And it was fun to compare results.

“What did everybody get?” Gunderson asked as she rolled her shopping cart out of checkout.

Carts were full of sporting goods, makeup, drawing pads and colored pencils, among other gifts.

Toys for Teens has been a school project long enough that Massey and Jada Addink didn’t know how long it’s been going. Ephrata students managed to keep Toys for Teens going even in 2020, when EHS was on a hybrid schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“They did not quit even through COVID,” Jada Addink said.

Traditionally there’s a contest, which in 2021 was between advisory classes. The winner was the class led by history teacher David Tempel.

“He tends to win,” Jada Addink said.

And traditionally there’s a prize that involves teachers doing something that might be considered beneath the dignity of the teaching profession. Teachers have braved a dunk tank in December, kissed farm animals, run an obstacle course and danced or sung in front of the whole school.

The ASB officers took a different approach for 2021, opting for an all-school party on the last day of classes prior to Christmas break.