A Season of Giving: Highland School Community Brightens the Holidays

1/13/2026

Josie Ross

While the winter chill settled over Warrenton this December, the spirit of the Highland School community was warmer than ever. Through a series of school-wide initiatives, students, faculty, and families joined forces to ensure that local neighbors—from toddlers to teens—felt the joy and care of the holiday season.

Here is a look at the incredible impact made by the Highland community this year.

Supporting Local Families and Literacy

At the heart of Highland’s efforts was a deep commitment to our local partners. From basic necessities to the gift of reading, the community stepped up across all divisions.

Snow Day Kits with Fauquier FISH: Bringing a bit of practical fun to the winter months, Ms. Bertke’s Algebra I class planned, packed, and donated 50 "Snow Day Kits." These kits provide families supported by Fauquier FISH with lunch, snacks, and treats to enjoy during school closures.
Annual Food Drive: The entire Highland community rallied together for a Food Drive benefiting the Fauquier Community Food Bank. An incredible 4,461 pounds of food was donated, helping to stock the shelves during one of the busiest times of the year for local pantries.
The Head Start Holiday Book Drive: Spearheaded by the Grades 4-5 and 6-8 Battle of the Books teams, this drive aimed to provide roughly 100 preschool students with 2–3 wrapped books each. After collecting 347 new books the community came together to wrap the gifts, which were presented to Head Start students during the Lower School holiday program dress rehearsal.

Warming Hearts (and Hands)
Highland’s younger students and Middle Schoolers focused on keeping our community warm and cozy through dedicated clothing drives.

The Mitten Tree: The Lower School Director’s Council transformed the Lower School into a hub of warmth. Pre-K and Kindergarten students brought mittens, 1st and 2nd graders brought socks, and 3rd and 4th graders contributed hats. These items adorned the "Mitten Tree" before being donated to all 149 Head Start students.
Middle School Coat Drive: Organized by the Builders Club, students in Grades 5–8 collected gently used coats for Community Touch. By the time the club delivered the donations, they had gathered over 70 coats and dozens of men, women, and children were ensured a warmer winter.

Bringing Joy to Every Child
The Upper School and school-wide "Sponsor-A-Child" programs ensured that the magic of a holiday morning reached as many homes as possible.

Sponsor-A-Foster-Child: In one of the most personal initiatives of the season, Highland families served as sponsors for 35 foster children. Sponsors received specific wish lists to ensure each child received something special and personal. These thoughtfully curated gifts, often including heartfelt cards from Highland families, were delivered to help brighten the holidays for children in the foster care system.
Toys for Tots: The Upper School Key Club turned the campus into an official drop site for Fauquier Toys for Tots. Students in Grades 9–12 led the charge, filling collection boxes with new, unwrapped toys that were delivered to the organization to support local families in need.

A Community Connected
The success of these programs is a testament to the leadership of Janie Banse, Sara Goldman, Cassin Bertke, Megan Hubbard, Angelique McCray, John Harmon, and Megan Catalfamo, as well as the tireless energy of the student clubs.

Most importantly, it reflects the core values of Highland School: a community that looks outward, leads with empathy, and understands that the true meaning of the holidays is found in what we give to others.

"The goal wasn't just to give gifts, but to show our neighbors that they are a valued part of our community."

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The coat drive donation box was overflowing!
Middle School Builders Club delivering their coat donations.
Highland's team delivering gifts for children in the foster system.
Algebra 1 packing snow day kits for Fauquier FISH
Middle School students wrap books for local Head Start.
The Mitten Tree!
Annual food drive
Middle School students load up their food drive donations for delivery to Fauquier Community Food Bank.
4,461 pounds of food donated. A personal record for Highland School!