Cheerful screams filled a West Vancouver elementary school when students found out their beloved holiday tradition would be saved after all.
In early December, a small fire damaged the gymnasium at École Pauline Johnson Elementary, seemingly putting an end to the school's annual Santa’s Workshop event. But nearby St. Stephen’s Anglican Church wasn't going to let the kids go without their Christmas cheer. On Thursday, Dec. 19, the church welcomed class after class to experience the holiday magic of their annual event.
“It was very emotional and just filled my heart because I knew that the children were going to be so excited,” said École Pauline Johnson Principal Tara Zielinski. “It was incredible, the joy, you could just feel it in the whole church.”
A small, localized fire broke out in the parent advisory council’s kitchen in early December, which is in the gym, leading to some burnt items on the stove and water damage from the sprinklers. West Vancouver Fire & Rescue responded to the fire and nobody was hurt, Zielinski said. But that area is crucial for the school's annual Santa's Workshop event, and the damage was too severe for the festivities to proceed there.
“It’s always been a real historical event at Pauline Johnson,” Zielinski said. “So, we were worried about that, and we were going to have to cancel it.”
Santa’s Workshop has been a long-running tradition at the school for more than two decades.
The school’s parent advisory council collects donated items like books and toys and brings them to the "workshop." Students are then let loose on the goodies, but not for themselves. They bring a toonie for each gift that they would like to buy as a gift for a family member. When they've picked the perfect items, they enter a wrapping room where parents and student volunteers wrap each item for them to take home and place under the tree.
Half of the proceeds from Santa’s Workshop go back into the parent advisory council, while the other half go to a charity of their choice.
The proceeds help the school fund athletic and arts programs, expert talks, transportation for field trips and parent education sessions.
Having the annual workshop is a magical experience for many at the school, and parent Ally Gradley wanted to find a way to continue the tradition after the fire.
Gradley and her husband reached out to St. Stephen’s church after finding out about the fire as they have been going to the church since 2020. Within an hour of the request, the church moved things around to have the holiday workshop for the school.
“It was just really important for me to keep that alive for the kids, because I know how special and important it is for them,” Gradley said. “I wanted to make sure that they didn’t lose out on the Christmas magic this year.”
“It’s also a nice opportunity … for kids maybe that are from different backgrounds to be able to afford gifts for their family. I think that’s important as well,” she said.
Gradley has two children that attend École Pauline Johnson – one in kindergarten and another in Grade 2. They were both happy to have Santa’s Workshop saved, she added.
There was lots of commotion during the workshop Thursday, with laughter and chatter, said Trish Schonbrun, office administrator of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church.
Schonbrun helped put the event together with the principal. Santa’s Workshop is sentimental to Schonbrun, as her son participated in a similar event at Irwin Park Elementary years ago and she knows how many kids look forward to the event every year.
“As part of St. Stephen’s, we are here to support [the] West Vancouver community, even in small ways,” Schonbrun said. “We’re just thrilled as a parish to be able to support our community, and this fulfills us greatly.”
As of Sunday, donations are still being counted, Zielinski said. Cleanup from the fire is still ongoing and it is unknown when the gym will be back in shape.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
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