Clio High School students in Matt McMullen’s first and sixth hour woods classes continued and even expanded a true Clio Christmas tradition Monday, making and delivering toys to kindergarten students at Clio Elementary School.
This year, now the seventh for this tradition, there was a new twist: three times as many toys to make. While in previous years with three elementary schools, the high schoolers would make enough toys for just one school each year on a rotating basis. Now, with all kindergartners under one roof, the same number of high school students (49) made toys for three times as many kindergartners (157) so that no one would be left out.
Yes, every young student received a marionette puppet or yo-yo, wrapped and delivered to them in their classroom.
“It’s a great, inexpensive way to introduce my students to the routines of the woodshop - the processes, the setup and safe operation of the tools and machines, and it gives the kindergartners a great little gift,” McMullen said.
“It also gives my students the most honest feedback and critique of their works,”” he added. “The kindergartners won’t lie. They are sometimes brutally honest about the way the puppet looks or functions.”
“I won't lie, its stressful,” McMullen noted, “but it all comes together each year and the high schoolers get a kick out it. I think they forget about where they came from and how much they have grown in 10-12 years...it’s for many pretty humbling.”