Students at Jackie Robinson Elementary School didn't know who the special guest visiting their classroom was, but the unmistakable "Ho, ho, ho" told them all they needed to know.
"When Santa first walked in, everybody started yelling 'Santa!'" said 6-year-old Maila Brown.
Students in preschool through third grade squealed, shrieked and dropped their jaws Friday when Santa Claus walked through their classroom doors, ringing a bell and calling out "Merry Christmas!" Santa then called each student by name and presented them with a gift.
"I can't believe it," one student said to her friend, who replied, "I like Santa."
Tissue paper and bows covered the floors as the kids, some clad in Christmas-themed pajamas, showed off their new toys. One girl who wore red bows in her pigtails and a Minnie Mouse T-shirt interrupted the chaos and gazed at Santa earnestly. "Thank you," she said, unable to hide her smile.
The Santa classroom visits and gifts are put on by the Children First Fund, which estimates around $125,000 in gifts and warm winter coats have been given to Chicago Public Schools students this holiday season. The school has found organizations to sponsor gifts for its students for at least the past six years, and the last three years have been sponsored by the Children First Fund, Principal Gretta Ellis said. All 120 students at the Oakland neighborhood school received gifts, and students who were absent got their gifts in advance.
"We get a taste of what it feels like to receive and to give," Ellis said. "The biggest piece for me is just seeing the joy. School, to me, is a place of joy."
Spreading holiday cheer is easy in Gina Kelling's first grade class. The class whooped and cheered so loud it may as well have been a Taylor Swift concert as Santa called each student's name. Each walked to the front of the class, posed for a photo with Santa, and proudly took their gift back to their seat.
"When the special guest was Santa Claus, the crowd went wild," Kelling said. "In first grade, it's maximum joy and excitement."
Maila waited not-so-patiently as each one of her classmates was called before her. As the list of uncalled names grew shorter, she kept cheering, but her face fell, her smile dissipated. She was the very last name called.
"I was feeling a little sad because I thought I wasn't gonna get a present," Maila said. "But I was last."
But the gift was worth the wait. Santa had given Maila an LOL doll from her list, whose name is Lady Diva. As Maila looks forward to a break from school, she's excited to celebrate Christmas with her family and make gingerbread cookies.
Earlier this month, Kelling's class made wish lists as an activity, and Santa chose an item from each list to give to the students. Most kids' lists were full of toys: Spider-Man figurines, Barbie dolls, race cars and so on. But one student was far more practical.
"I asked what he wanted, and he just said glasses," Kelling said. "When I asked what kind of toy he wanted, he said a sweater. Then the third thing on his list was rope."
Kelling joked that this student was an old soul, and he got what he wanted: a gray sweater.
"All the kids were showing off their toys and he said 'I don't know why these guys want toys, it's getting cold soon,'" Kelling said with a laugh.
No matter what the students wanted, their wish was granted by Santa Claus, who has a special connection to the school. Ellis' husband Pierre donned the white beard and red snowsuit, proudly staying in character for the whole day and saying goodbye with "and to all a good night!"
"That gives him joy just to see how excited they are," Ellis said.
The kids may be the ones overcome with glee, but staff members the joy is infectious.
"[Seeing them] getting to celebrate here and getting a present here is such a comfort to everyone who works here," Kelling said.
