Thank-you ‘notes’: Student carolers show appreciation for gift drive

Students in the choir at Fusion Charter School said thank you Wednesday in the best way they know how – through song.

A half-dozen students serenaded Turlock Irrigation District employees and Brandel Manor residents and staff members with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Silent Night” and other seasonal favorites.

The visits were made in appreciation of a gift drive the utility and the assisted-living facility held for the 150-student school, which is a program of the nonprofit organization Aspiranet.

Fusion, now in its third school year, works with students who need a focused, smaller-school environment to be successful, said Principal Susan Nisan after her students sang at Brandel on Wednesday morning.

For some families of Fusion students, budgets are very tight, meaning few if any holiday gifts are purchased. A lot of students at the seventh- through 12th-grade school have younger siblings and understand the little ones come first, said Aspiranet spokeswoman Ellyn Brannon. That sometimes means there’s nothing under the tree for them.

The families’ situations inspired Brandel and TID staff members to support a gift drive. Students wrote gift wishes on tags, which then were hung on Brandel and TID office Christmas trees. Employees selected tags and bought gifts – including shoes, clothing and gift cards – for 62 students.

“They helped us out a lot with the presents,” said Fusion senior Mary Saude, who’s a choir member and secretary of the student council. “And I think that’s really generous because for the people that don’t really get to enjoy Christmas and celebrate Christmas, they get a little appreciation.”

“A little Christmas cheer for everyone, you know?” added fellow senior and choir member Brandon Perriatt.

“We’re totally grateful for that,” Saude continued, “so the least we can do is come out here and give them some holiday spirit.”

The Fusion students first sang in the chapel at Brandel, to an audience of residents and a few staff members, some of whom joined in the caroling. Then the group, guided by Brandel activities director Michelle Frederick, walked the halls and sang to residents who remained in their rooms. “This is a hard time of year for them,” Frederick said of some residents. She told the students their visit meant a lot.

Nisan said Fusion students do a lot of community work, including holding food drives and helping at Aspiranet’s Turlock Family Resource Center.

“They’re great kids,” Nisan said. “They were falling through the cracks at the traditional school, and with the personalized touch we have – we’re a very small school, 150 students, and a capacity only for 250, so we’ll never be a big school – they thrive.”

Fusion is a public school owned by Aspiranet but authorized by the Turlock Unified School District.

“And we work very closely with the district office,” Nisan said. “The district refers students they think will benefit from Fusion.”

The school focuses on meeting the needs of at-risk students – some have disabled parents, others live with grandparents or other extended-family members – by providing a blend of direct instruction from credentialed teachers and online learning in an independent study program.

This is the first year Fusion has had a choir, as well as other things, such as student government, a basketball team and an aviation club. And the performances at TID and Brandel were among its first public outings.

“The nerves were definitely getting the best of me,” Perriatt said.

Frederick said Brandel residents and staff members couldn’t have cared less if a song or two got off to a rough start. They loved that the visit and the singing were from the heart.

“I told them, ‘Don’t forget us next year – we won’t forget you!’ ” she said.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Thank-you ‘notes’: Student carolers show appreciation for gift drive."