The holidays are a time for celebration of many things and for many, also a time to give back. Students and staff at Questar III have been celebrating and giving back all month as we move through the holiday season once again.
Special Education students in Cara Ayotte’s class at Goff Middle School decorated their classroom door to look like a gingerbread house- and it was a hit! Other teachers at Goff loved the decorations and Ayotte says next year, they’re looking to turn the whole wing of the school into a “Candy Land Winter Wonderland Village!” She says she’s looking forward to the chance to collaborate with staff at the school.
For the third year, students are Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy held a toy drive to 
provide gifts to children who might not otherwise receive anything for the holidays. This year, staff and students collected 230 items! Donations were delivered to the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) in Troy on December 10th for their holiday store. Students also have the opportunity to earn community service hours by volunteering at the holiday store. REC students also visited several places to sing Christmas carols. More than 30 students from Skills USA and New Visions Visual and Performing arts visited the Unity Sunshine Daycare center and the Rensselaer County Troy Senior Center in the morning, and then sang at Monument Square in downtown Troy and The Eddy Long Term Care Center.
Throughout the month of December, Questar III Special Education staff have been collecting donations of new or gently-used items such as toys, puzzles, jewelry, blankets, holiday decorations and a variety of other things- as part of the “Gift it Forward” campaign. Donations were collected and distributed to schools, and students browsed 
through the items and chose gifts for family members or friends for the holidays. Staff has been collecting donations each year for more than a decade, and this year the Special Education department received well over 600 donations.
Welding students at Columbia-Greene Educational Center made a wreath to donate to the “Gallery of Wreaths” fundraiser for the Columbia County Historical Society. Career Development Facilitator Lynn Seftner says the class has contributed a wreath for years and it is always a huge sensation at the event.
Students in Michelle Belschwinder’s class at Goff Middle School made wreaths to submit to the Times Union’s wreath contest and won second place in the group category
In Greene County, students at 
Catskill Academy held a holiday luncheon on December 21st. The meal had all the traditional holiday meal staples of ham and mashed potatoes.
From all of us at Questar III we wish you and yours a safe and relaxing holiday!
