This winter Ida B. Wells students are joining their clubs and sports teams to sell Christmas trees and raise funds for their beloved school. Every weekend from Nov. 24 to Dec. 10, students gathered at A-Boy from 10 am to 5:30 pm, spreading Christmas cheer, and embracing the holiday spirit.  With the help of companies like SW2, IBW’s theater department, to the football teams, there was an opportunity for everyone to pick a tree of their choosing.. 

Volunteers were glad to help their community and had fun while doing so. Kiran Cerwonka, a player on the school’s women’s lacrosse team volunteered to raise money for her club. “We got to sing Christmas songs on the side of the road to get customers to come visit us,” Cerwonka said. “It was honestly so fun, I’ll probably do it again next year.” Cerwonka believes the experience was worth it, and a great way to make some money for our school’s beloved clubs. 

Sign spinning, keeping the space clean, showing people around, helping them select the trees, and then carrying the trees to their cars are all part of the process for the student and parent volunteers. 

Cerwonka says that the customers showed their school spirit. There was a hustle and bustle around A-boy that truly brought the community together. People were eager to support their students and the school’s clubs. 

Kaia Trust, another member of the lacrosse team, said her favorite part was dancing and holding the signs. She got the opportunity to use her holiday spirit to better her community. “I don’t think we get any funding from the school to do lacrosse, so raising money like this is really important for us,’” said Trust. In past years the team has had to cancel playoffs, simply because they couldn’t afford to get a bus to their destination.