As 2016 came to a close, Mrs. Ferguson’s annual Christmas Tree Donation Competition did as well. Her four classes, including three AP and one IB, competed against each other to donate as many items as possible to go to St. Anthony’s and Holy Cross Episcopal Church’s backpack program. The award for most goods collected was Mrs. Ferguson’s famous baked treats featuring her delectable lemon squares: much sought after by Coach Neely. Donations included various items such as pencils, granola bars, Ramen noodles, and Ritz crackers. The classes combined donated over 2000 items.  Even Ms. Ferguson herself did not expect such a large number of donations. She thought the students were “very generous” this year with their giving.

The competition was fierce between the AP and IB classes with it being neck and neck for the majority of the month. However, the IB senior class ended with a sprint to the finish in the final hour of the last day with Schuyler O’Brien and Alexandria Leland bringing in 480 peanut butter crackers. Evan Lutes contributed 180 points, and Peyton Harris earned 75. Barnes Elliott’s 65 points led to a total score of 1064 for the IB class. 3rd period, W period and X period tallied 1032, 428, and 142 points respectively.  Student Body President and IB senior Schuyler O’Brien said that he “did it for the treats and the hungry people.” Evan Lutes, who guarded the door until 9:30 on the day of the deadline, said that he was sweating those last moments.

Despite the competition, everyone remembered the true reason for the donations. Mrs. Ferguson summed it up perfectly saying, “many young people will benefit from the items donated and I am pleased to see the students get into the spirit of Christmas.”