An Oilfields High School student who expanded her horizons this semester is getting much more out of it than she’d imagined.
Avid reader Anna Hayden-Petrucka decided on a whim to join the school’s Makerspaces program to try her hand at crafting. Three months later, the teen is contributing her skills to the school’s winter market to ensure the program excels.
The student is one of about 200 hosting a winter market at the school Dec. 2 from 4 to 7 p.m. with shopping, live music and food to raise money to purchase more materials for the school’s Makerspaces program and its economics, photoshop, science Olympics, digital technology and industrial education classes.
“When your teachers are telling you, ‘We don’t have the budget for this so we’re going to fundraise,’ it makes you feel more involved in helping what you love,” said Hayden-Petrucka. “When you learn you can fundraise for it, it makes you feel you’re helping do what you have to do.”
Hayden-Petrucka, who had friends participate in the Makerspaces program during their lunch breaks last year, decided to join in September, although she admits she’s preferred reading to working with her hands.
“I decided to check it out and decided it was pretty fun,” she said. “I’m not particularly crafty so this is fairly new to me. It made me realize how involved things like this make you feel and how fun it is to actually try it.”
Hayden-Petrucka handcrafted festive bead bracelets to sell at the market to help raise money to purchase more supplies for the program.
“They are pretty fun to make, it’s just picking patterns that you think look nice and you get nice charms for the end of them,” she said. “I made a few Christmas-themed ones with the stereotypical classic red and green and some candy canes and some sparkly blue ones like wrapping paper. It’s fun to make something that you know people are going to enjoy.”
During the market, Hayden-Petrucka will play the euphonium in the senior band. The school’s bands are performing a Christmas concert in conjunction with the market this year in hopes to draw a large crowd.
In previous years, Hayden-Petrucka volunteered at the market, but this year was pleased to contribute something to sell.
“It’s cool knowing that you’re involved in something like this,” she said. “When they tell you we made this much money you know it’s helping the programs you’re involved in.”
Oilfields High School learning commons facilitator Cindy Watts, who is helping to organize the event, said students in each program contribute something to the market.
“It’s good for them to learn to give back and it teaches the students to collaborate so that it’s not just one program doing this fundraiser, it’s a whole community, it’s a whole building of all of us together,” she said. “They’re fundraising money to put it back into the program.”
Watts said students are excited to have their handcrafted items on display for sale.
“The students want to contribute, they want to give back to the school,” she said, adding more than half of the school’s pupils are involved. “We’ve been working on this for the last three months.”
Among items for sale at the market will be jewelry, bookmarkers, dream catchers, personalized mugs, adult colouring sheets, art books, cutting boards, ornaments and baked goods.
The market will also have raffle draws for each department, a hot chocolate bar and a gift-wrapping table, said Watts.
“The market is light, causal and fun,” she said. “We are happy to see everyone come out and get to know the students and the students get to know the community. That’s what our goal is here at the school is to have so much community building.”
Last year’s winter market raised more than $700, which helped teachers purchase materials outside of the basics for each participating program and option class.
