Feel Good Story: TISD Schools Brighten the Holiday Season through Community Outreach Projects

December 13, 2024
Tomball ISD Schools Brighten the Holiday Season through Community Outreach Projects

The holiday season is often described as the most wonderful time of the year, but for some, it can be a time of challenge. In Tomball ISD, however, the spirit of giving transforms this season into something truly special. 

Across campuses, students, teachers, and staff are coming together to support those in need. By collecting donations, organizing food drives and Angel Trees, hosting fundraisers, and finding creative ways to give back, the Tomball ISD community is making a difference in the lives of many.

This collaborative effort not only uplifts the community but also teaches students valuable lessons about compassion, generosity, and the power of unity.

Tomball ISD schools find ways to support the community all year long and the holiday season is one shining example of the power a school district can have on a small community like Tomball. 

Tomball Intermediate School continued their annual tradition of an Angel Tree. This special Christmas tree is adorned with ornaments that contain the gender and ages of students and their siblings in need at TIS. The goal is to ensure that as many families as possible have a special Christmas. The TIS staff, the campus community, and its PTO picked ornaments off the tree and purchased wish list items for families in need. Over 58 TIS families will have a beautiful Christmas thanks to those who were willing to take an ornament off the Angel Tree and donate a gift.

Oakcrest Intermediate wrapped up a successful Food Drive, collecting hundreds of non-perishable items to donate to TEAM Shop. The drive, led by the school GE Council and Kindness Club, saw enthusiastic participation from students, staff, and families, all working together to support those in need this holiday season.  Collected items will help provide meals to local families during the holidays. This initiative is a yearly tradition at OIS for its community to come together, spreading kindness and for students learning the value of giving back and supporting the community.

Lakewood Elementary supported the Haley Rasco Foundation through a Craft Drive, collecting craft activities for children in the hospital over the holidays. Items like stickers, crayons, paint kids, and playdoh were collected and distributed to kids in hospitals to provide joy and fun for them during a difficult time.

Timber Creek Elementary Student Council, in conjunction with the campus PTO, encouraged students to collect items to support the Memorial Hermann Hospital NICU in the Woodlands. In addition to collecting items, TCES students also created Holiday gift bags for the siblings of these babies. 

Tomball Star Academy LIFT Club partnered with Cancer Kiss My Cooley to support students hospitalized with brain cancer. Students led a campus-wide Toy Drive that supported the community.

Creekside Forest Elementary collected twin sheets, blankets and toys for the Rasco Foundation, supporting children in local pediatric hospitals. Third graders at CFES also collected items for AAR (Abandoned Animal Rescue).  These items are used to help with everyday operations.

CFES Cares continues its annual initiatives by collecting cereal to fight food insecurity.  The cereal will be collected all year long.  At the end of the year, we will build a domino type track where we will knock over the cereal boxes.  We are trying to beat the world record for cereal boxes collected. 

Tomball Memorial High School Athletic Training Program organized an initiative called Operation: Cake! The goal was to collect ingredients needed to make 50 cakes using cake mixes and sodas. However, they surpassed their goal and ended up gathering and assembling nearly 80 cake kits, which were donated to the Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries.

Grand Oaks Elementary facilitated a Toy Drive where families from the GOES campus donated toys during the first week of December. The following week, pre-selected families were able to shop the "store," ensuring their children will have presents under the Christmas tree.

In addition to community service projects and initiatives, students from across all campuses celebrated the season by spreading holiday cheer through musical performances. From elementary choirs to high school orchestras and bands, Tomball ISD Fine Arts students continued the tradition of sharing their talents with the broader community.