School’s Gift to Another: ‘Welcome’

I started with the first-graders.

“How do you like the party?”

The students at Cornelia Connelly School of the Holy Child, an all-girls high school in Anaheim, had shelved the holiday party they usually throw for themselves each year. Instead they hosted a Christmas bash Friday for 160 children from Our Lady of the Pillar School, one of the poorest in the Catholic diocese.

“Fine,” Abigail told me. Adam went a step further, “Cool.”

The third-graders were no more effusive. “It’s kind of great,” Edgar offered. “Cool,” Jesus said.

And the kings of the playground at Our Lady of the Pillar, the mighty eighth-graders? “Really great,” Antonio said. “Cool,” Jose added.

The reticence, at least of the eighth-grade boys, may have been caused by the delightful shock of suddenly being surrounded by more than 200 high school girls.

The new partnership between Connelly and Our Lady of the Pillar is part of an effort by the Orange Diocese called “twinning,” where affluent schools are paired with more needy ones. About a third of the 44 Catholic schools in Orange County have formed partnerships.

“It’s a great way for kids from both schools to see all sides of life,” said Brother William Carriere, the diocesan superintendent.

He noted that many younger students at Our Lady of the Pillar had never been on a bus before Friday’s trip to Anaheim. And many Connelly students hadn’t seen the poorer sections of the county until they went to the Santa Ana school a few weeks ago to introduce themselves.

“Our kids were just thrilled to hear that someone is giving them a party,” said Eleanor Duncan, the principal at Our Lady of the Pillar, whose three daughters had attended Connelly. “This is what Christmas is about--to stand back from yourself and give something to others.”

Connelly administrators this fall floated the idea of teaming up with the Santa Ana school. And the students took it from there.

“I’m most impressed with how organized the girls are--and so spirited,” said Catherine McBride, a third-grade teacher at Our Lady of the Pillar. “They’ve created a family atmosphere here.”

When the three busloads of Santa Ana students arrived at Connelly, homemade signs and big bouquets of balloons welcomed them. Lines of smiling girls on both sides of the walkway cheered the guests as they walked onto the campus.

“Our girls really went out of their way to make this a success,” said Sister Francine Gunther, head of the school. “They decided to give of themselves to others. And they were probably even more excited about this party than the younger children.”

By the party’s end, the students had sung Christmas carols together. They had made Christmas stockings, candy baskets and ornaments for family members. And the younger ones had gotten a word with Santa.

“We have a tendency to be in our own little worlds,” said Mallory Barnes, Connelly’s 16-year-old student body president. “We are all wrapped up in grades, friends and family. This is a way to give back to the community.”

Officials from both schools said they plan to make the party a holiday tradition. Connelly students will also tutor and mentor Santa Ana students throughout the year.

For the eighth-grade boys, there’s one other benefit to the partnership. As the high school girls sang Christmas carols in the auditorium, the boys jumped up on stage and started singing alongside them.

“I’ve got to tell you,” said Jan Williams, a Connelly administrator. “The boys think they’ve died and gone to heaven.”

So did the students who got to play in the two inflatable bouncing rooms and even the ones who got to ride the bus for the first time.

Viviana, a first-grader who had just left Santa’s lap, summed up the day as well as anyone: “Cool.”