Lincoln Community High School Special Education students enjoy decorating their downtown tree for Winter Wonderland

 

[November 26, 2024] 

The annual tree “planting” for the Lincoln Winter Wonderland took place on Saturday, November 23rd, with Sunday being the first day that tree owners could come out and start their decorating.

By Monday afternoon, several trees were already decorated when Mrs. Doneghue’s Special Education Class at Lincoln Community High School arrived to add their special touches to a tree in their name located on the Broadway side of the Logan County Courthouse square.

According to the teachers, this is the first year that the class has done a tree, and all the students were excited about adding decorations with a Grinch theme to their tree.

The lights were strung first, then students, with help from Mrs. Doneghue, Mr. Schmidt, and the four or five teachers on hand began putting on the decorations. From bows to bon-bon balls made from shower scrunchies, the vast majority of the ornaments were hand crafted by the students.

The weather was a bit colder than one would have hoped, but not as bad as it is going to be the rest of the week. The wind was also pretty powerful sometimes, but the kids sojourned on, getting the job done pretty quickly.

This is Mrs. Doneghue’s final year as the teacher of the Special Education class and she is doing a lot of fun things with the students before she retires at the end of the school year.

The tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for this Friday evening, November 29th, at 5:30 p.m. The evening will begin with a brief presentation by organizer Kathie Williams on the Kickapoo Street side of the square. Then there will be a pause to give guests time to walk around to their tree so they can watch it when it lights up.

The event is open to the public, and if you don’t have a tree, be sure to go around and enjoy all the trees around the square, and take special note of the lovely Grinch tree designed and decorated by the LCHS Special Education Class.

[Nila Smith with photos by Smith and student helper Heather Gaule]