The holiday season is upon us, which means that it is once again time for MISH’s annual Christmas toy drive in partnership with Children’s Village, an organization that works with society’s most vulnerable children in order to set them up for success in life. 

Unlike previous years, when Upper School advisories pooled together money to buy a toy from an Amazon wishlist, this year’s approach to the drive is different. The list was sent directly to students, faculty and staff in the Upper and Middle Schools. In fact, some of our School’s security guards spoke in Morning Meeting about their experiences volunteering at Children’s Village.

  “I think what we’re trying to do is create a cultural shift toward a greater degree of involvement on the part of Masters students in our community outreach efforts,” Roland Davis, the Associate Head for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said. “It’s not simply enough to just buy a toy and click on a link for Amazon and bring it in. We want them to be actively involved in the process and knowledgeable about what they’re doing and how it works towards the support of people in the community outside Masters.”

Elena Olivieri, Associate Dean of Wellness and Purposeful Engagement, expressed a similar sentiment. “Active participation, deep understanding, and meaningful connection. That’s the Masters mission,” she said. “We want to make sure that MISH is aligned with that.”

As of right now, 23 of the 24 toys on the specific list have been purchased as well as around 20 from the general list, for which MISH’s goal is 110.