’Tis the season for holiday shopping at Colony High

PALMER — Colony High School senior Makenna Wyatt put on one of the biggest events of the season Nov. 26, the school’s 18th annual Christmas Bazaar.

Each year, CHS’s Close Up organization spends countless hours preparing and making the annual bazaar happen. It includes vendors from throughout the Valley and student groups from the school raising money, and, of course, many shoppers. This year, there were 265 vendors at CHS and more applying for next year. This event is always held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, also known as “small shops Saturday.” The bazaar includes anything from various tasty foods to handmade items to jewelry.

“This is good for small businesses to become known throughout the Valley and get some items checked off the Christmas list,” said Close Up student Makenna Wyatt. “It is also a great way to earn money to go to Washington, D.C., with this organization and experience something new.”

Close Up is a program at CHS for juniors and seniors to travel to the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., for a week and three days in New York.

“It’s such a great experience and I recommend every high school student to do this,” Wyatt said.

She put all of her energy into this event for several weeks, getting it set up, calling vendors, etc. This hard-working senior, as well as other students, has been working and earning money for three years to go on this exciting trip.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to do this program and the bazaar,” said Tom Berge, Close Up adviser and CHS teacher. “We couldn’t have done it without the approval and support of the Mat-Su School District and Colony High School’s dedication.”

Kayla Kushin is a Colony High School senior.