(January 21, 2004) -- On Friday Dec. 19 Raymond T. Rasas and Eric Sinosiain from the Glendale Adventist Medical Center loaded a truck with donated toys and more than 1,855 dry and canned food items that Clark donated throughout the week. These items were taken to the Glendale Adventist Medical Center Dec. 23 to be given to less fortunate children. Clark surpassed the goal of 1,000 donated items set by ASB, making this year’s collection drive the most successful in Clark history.

“The concept of the Giving Tree worked,” said ASB Director of Activities junior Sandra Belderian. “We got the whole school involved.”

Students and teachers were encouraged to bring as many items as possible by having all third period classes compete against one another. ASB advisor Kristina Provost came up with the idea of the Giving Tree based on the story by Shel Silverstein. “The idea was giving without receiving something in return,” Provost said.

The winner of the canned food drive competition was Melanie Martin’s AP English class. By collecting about 200 canned goods, Martin’s third period class built the highest tree of food during the lunch activity Dec. 19. Next to the Yearbook Rally Week activity, the basketball toss, every third period representative built a tree at the bottom of the amphitheater.

According to ASB Vice President junior John Reyes, this year’s event enhanced Clark’s unity and spirit by “capturing both the spirit of the season and the school.” Previous years’ drives collected roughly 100 items with, according to Provost, students asking, “What’s in it for me?”

The Giving Week was composed of activities such as the lighting of the Giving Tree at the Concert Under the Stars orchestra performance and the creation of unique ornaments to hang on the tree by third period classes.

Elaine Snodgress’ physiology class created its own skeletal ornaments resembling each bone of the body out of clay to hang on the tree. Loussik Kassakian’s chemistry class decorated safety goggles with the periodic table of elements and other atoms and molecules.

Students also watched a video created by teacher Russ Nichols’ multimedia class that told Silverstein’s story of the Giving Tree.