It’s usually the gifts we receive as a child that we remember the most. The gifts that we opened Christmas morning and can’t help but play with for the rest of the day. Out of all the gifts we’ve ever received, there’s always one or two that we seem to remember forever. For Lake Ridge’s newest teachers and staff, those are the gifts they will always treasure.

A simple chalk board and desk may not seem like much but for new associate principal, Melanie Lewis, that was what stirred a passion within her.

“I think my favorite gift was when I got a chalkboard and a desk. I used to love playing school. I wanted to be the teacher and all my teddy bears and dolls were my students. I’ve always had a passion for it. That just had to be my absolute favorite gift,” said Lewis.

Christmas presents are often inspired by the things we love to do. Just as Lewis loved teaching to her dolls and bears, art teacher, Camilla Hervey, fell in love with the art easel she got for Christmas. Through the easel, her love for art grew. A love that would eventually lead her to Lake Ridge.

“I got a professional art easel. It was important to me because I felt like I had piece of legit equipment to work with. It cultivated my want to become an artist, which later turned into me helping kids and becoming a teacher,” said Hervey.

For some people, all they want for Christmas is the newest phone or pair of shoes. Making sure they get the most popular item of the year, however it’s not always the most expensive presents that make a lasting impact. A lot of the times it’s the presents that have hard work and love written on them that create a lasting impression.

“I would have to say my favorite gift I got was the basketball goal my dad made by hand. He made it out of wood and spray painted the wood to make it look look like an official NBA backboard. I woke up Christmas morning and went outside and it was already up,” explained new boys’ golf coach and astronomy teacher, Cody Cawvey.

Although we may not realize it as children, it’s the things in life that shows someone cares, that mean the most to us.

“This was important to me because my dad spent so much time on it. Looking back I realize he spent his own hard work and time on it. I value it more now than I did at the time, even though I did think it was pretty cool,” said Cawvey.

On top of the sentimental gifts there are also the gifts that fuel what we love. These gifts are the ones that range from a desk and chair to a small furry animal that we cherish for years. For new world geography teacher, Brandi Garcia, it was the small cat she got as a child that she remembers loving the most.

“My favorite gift was my cat, Noel. This was my favorite because it was a cat and I love cats. I think he was actually a kitten at the time which made it even better. He had a bow on his head and was under the tree,” said Garcia.

For these people, it’s not the expensive gifts that they remember the most. Instead it’s the ones that their family members went out of their way to give. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to set up a basketball goal might not sound ideal, however it’s gifts like these that the members of Lake Ridge’s staff and teachers remember for a lifetime.