Friday morning, the Thomas J. Rusk Middle School auditorium filled with students and gift bags for 120 students.
'I was not expecting this, but I'm so grateful for this," 7th grader Mariel Carreon said.
The students were on Rusk's Winter Wish Lists. They were chosen by faculty based on need. Some of the students at Rusk Middle School have experienced homelessness.
"I've overheard students saying that this was gonna be it, or that they weren't going to have a Christmas," Rusk 8th Grade School Counselor Gail Neale said. "Because for a lot of them, this was Christmas. Today was Christmas for them. So to see them enjoy their gifts and see the smiles on their faces, it was really overwhelming. It was touching."
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In years past, teachers and staff have bought gifts for the students. This year, Southwest Airlines employees stepped up to fill the wish lists for all 120 students.
"It makes me feel, like, really happy that they spent their time just to get stuff for me and everybody else," 8th grader Averee Robinson said smiling from ear to ear. "They didn't have to; they wanted to show kindness to us."
The gifts include bikes, shoes, games, clothes and more. Students got things they wanted and things they needed.
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"It's like giving me a lesson," Carreon said. "Then when I grow up, like, giving forward. Like, everything I got given to us; we can do it to other kids."
"Life is not always about you," Neale said. "It's about giving. It is about taking care of each other and looking out for each other."
