Riverside High School students are looking to spread elf-themed holiday fun on Dec. 7 with their annual Halls of Holly Winter Fest. Related Articles Local News | Project Hope for the Homeless nets $132,000 grant from OneOhio Recovery Foundation Local News | State of emergency declared in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake counties Local News | Officials break ground on Lake County Public Safety Center in Painesville Local News | American Legion Jay Wilson Post Auxiliary again setting up a Giving Tree Local News | Lake County officials recognize ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ program Organizers are planning to welcome visiting families with reading rooms, a game room, face painting, art, trivia, cookie decorating, putt putt and more. The festival is being targeted for preschool and elementary school students who live in the Riverside School District. “This is just meant to be a fun and safe experience for our district families,” said Emi Jeras, one of the students helping to organize the event. “We know that the holidays can be stressful and expensive, so we want to provide a potential tradition and core memory afternoon without the stress and expense.” Riverside teacher Jaime McIntyre said that this year’s “Elftastic” event will feature rooms and games with elf themes. There will also be “a few Elf movie moments.” As with previous years, McIntyre said that students from Riverside’s SIDE Leadership class are hosting and planning the event. Halls of Holly is their midterm project. “They learn how to solve problems while managing ideas,” she said. “I also want them to understand the concept of bringing magic and helping others make core memories. This is the important stuff that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.” Students from Riverside’s new Auburn Academy program will help design and manage the putt putt course, while the food class is presenting a cookie workshop, McIntyre said. Principles of Business students will run the school’s Beaver Nation Spirit Store during Halls of Holly, and other students will also volunteer at the event. “It is a great opportunity to create a memorable experience for the kids in the community. Organizing the event is a lot of fun and getting to see everyone’s hard work come together into something magical is amazing.” — student Ella Fox Students involved in planning for this year’s event said that the process has helped them with leadership, creative thinking and project management. “It is a great opportunity to create a memorable experience for the kids in the community,” said student Ella Fox. “Organizing the event is a lot of fun and getting to see everyone’s hard work come together into something magical is amazing.” Halls of Holly runs from noon to 3 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Riverside Campus, 585 Riverside Drive in Painesville Township. The event is free, though McIntyre said that hot chocolate purchases will fund student activities. “We are excited to keep this tradition alive and welcome new people to the experience,” she said. “We do want to remind families that this is a family event and that students need to be accompanied by their adults.” Organizers will also accept donations for the Ian Minnick Legacy Foundation. Minnick was a 2015 Riverside High School graduate who died in 2019, and McIntyre said that the foundation funds student participation in the arts. More information is available at ianslegacy.com.