GABRIELA MAFI, GGUSD superintendent, with a child at last year’s event (GGUSD photo).

On Wednesday, Pacifica High School in Garden Grove will host more than 400 kindergarten students at the school’s annual Adopt-A-Child event where PHS seniors are paired up with kindergartners who they “adopt” for a morning of gift-giving, cookie decorating, games, train rides, photos with Santa Claus, and other holiday fun.

Adopt-A-Child has been a Pacifica winter tradition for more than 25 years.  This year, kindergarten students from schools with the highest percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch, which include Wakeham, Parkview, Riverdale, Woodbury, Lawrence, Eisenhower, and Clinton elementary schools, were invited to participate in the event.

Beginning at 9 a.m., the school’s gymnasium will be transformed into Santa’s Village as the senior class, ASB, and school clubs team up to host the festivities.  The maintenance staff joins in on the fun becoming Santa’s helpers for the day as they help assemble toys for the children. The high school seniors enjoy buying gifts for the kindergarten students and seeing the looks on their faces as they open the gifts.

“Pacifica’s Adopt-A-Child brings out the best in our students as the high school seniors learn the value of giving back to young children in need” said Teri Rocco, Garden Grove Unified School District board of education trustee. “I look forward to this event each year because the gymnasium radiates with the Christmas spirit and the eyes of both the high schools seniors and their adopted kindergartners glow with excitement.”