Pass Christian Elementary School gifts students at Game Drive

Pass Christian Elementary gave all its students a fun game to take home to enjoy during the Christmas break.

“To see them excited and to see them see that there are people who care about them and who want them to put happiness in their life makes me feel good.”

You may be a fan of Monopoly or even Sorry, or maybe even Uno. Many forget the simple fun a card or board game can bring, but at Pass Christian Elementary, the classic games continue to live on. Aamir Thompson said, “I got a Jenga that had a mega one on the bottom of it, because I always loved Jenga.”

Stanley McGee Jr. said, “I got Monopoly Fortnite because I really like to play Fortnite a lot. You gather more money and know how to count better.”

Macie Buza is a speech therapist for the Pass Christian School District and she was excited to gift her students with a simple board game or two ahead of the Christmas break. She began reaching out to as many people as she could when the idea dawned on her to try to get something for the entire school. Hence, a game drive, showcasing familiar classics like Connect 4, Risk, and Trouble. “Last year I started and I just was only going to get games for my speech students. I have about 40-50 speech students. So, I asked on Facebook, I saw thing going around on Facebook. So, I asked on Facebook for donations, and within like two hours I had double what I had asked for. So, I was like, maybe it would be cool just you know, to see if we can do it and we did it.”

Nearly 400 students were able to select their game of choice and Buza wants the children to remember these memories for a life and that one day they’ll be able to give back to the next generation. “When I was in school, I never had anything like this. And I’ve heard so many of our kids come through and say, oh my gosh, the school is getting us presents and games and it’s so cool. And they’re already talking about playing with each other and we wish we could go home and play together on you know over Christmas break. So, it’s definitely something that they’ll remember.”

As for the students, you can bet they won’t waste any time to get their game on. “I’m grateful to get some games from my school because usually schools don’t really do this.” “Awesome. Very happy.” “(When are you going to bust out the toys and get the playing?) Probably when I get home? Yeah, probably when before my mom get home, I’ll bring it outside and I’ll bring it out on the porch and play with them.”

Pass Christian Elementary would like to thank all the donors and administrators who were able to make this game drive successful.