On December 9, National Honor Society held their annual Breakfast with Santa in the Commons of West Chicago Community High School, with approximately 300 guests attending.
This year’s breakfast was made possible by the committee chairs, which included seniors Kali Waller, Payton Arredondo, Natalie Fernandez, Emily Krause, and Mariana Acosta. These seniors were in charge of the kitchen, decorations, publicity, and activities.
“This was our best Breakfast with Santa yet – I am so proud of all the chairs and their committee members. We could not have pulled off this event without their hard work,” Leslie Fireman, National Honor Society adviser said.
No Breakfast with Santa is complete without a visit from Santa, who was there so children could tell him the one thing they wanted the most for the holiday. Santa and Mrs. Claus made their grand appearance at 9 a.m., when they walked through a side door in Commons to greet the children and have pancakes with them. This year’s Santa was again Social Studies teacher Nick Caltagirone.
Some of the activities at this year’s event included games such as “Santa’s Fishing Hole” (fishing for candy canes), and a “Reindeer Toss” (throwing inflatable rings into inflatable reindeer antlers). Crafts were offered as well, and letter templates for children to write their Christmas wish list were available in English and Spanish. Art Club also sent members to provide complimentary face painting.
Additionally, National Honor Society brought in performances by Leman Middle School’s Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi Band, as well as WEGO’s chamber choir. The West Chicago Fire Department was expected for a Touch-a-Truck opportunity, but did not appear.
A variety of breakfast options were offered, and included pancakes (a topping bar as well), hash browns, bacon, coffee and hot chocolate to top it off. Tickets to attend the breakfast could be pre-purchased online, or at the door; the event earned approximately $900 in sales for the National Honor Society, according to Fireman.
With more than 40 volunteers working the event, and 300 community members in attendance, Commons was bustling with activity; however, the Makintos family, who has attended since 2021, thought this year’s Breakfast with Santa was NHS’ most successful.
“This year’s event ran more smoothly than previous years,” senior Diana Makintos said.
Prior to the event, NHS members had to make sure there was enough Christmas spirit in the cafeteria so Breakfast with Santa could appear as a winter wonderland for the children.
“It’s a really big production for all the committee chairs. They have to meet multiple times per month [in advance] to prepare. Emily [Krause]’s car was filled with decorations, and it took us four hours to set-up. So much effort was put into making sure every kid had a good time,” National Honor Society President Mia Valliquette said.
