Shining Stars make Ronald McDonald House look ... Spooktacular

HARLINGEN - Middle school children in a leadership program used part of their free time Saturday to decorate the Ronald McDonald House for Halloween.

The Vernon Middle School pupils are members of the Shining Stars Leadership Club, a program of Communities in Schools.

"Although they have University Interscholastic League, Student Council and many other programs students can get into, the reason Communities in Schools developed Shining Stars is that some kids do not join those groups," counselor Corina Peñuelas said. "I wanted the kids to be civic-minded. I wanted them to give back to their community."

Most youths want to be involved in their community, she said.

"I know that all of them have a sense of belonging," she said. "They want to belong to something. Some do want to do things, but they just don't know how."

Shining Stars appeals to youths who may not be in other extracurricular activities such as band or Student Council, she said.

"They want to do something positive," Peñuelas said.

Shining Stars pupils who helped decorate Ronald McDonald House participate in a daily program at school called the "Lunch Bunch," which involves socializing with each other and exchanging ideas, Peñuelas said.

An upcoming fund-raising activity will be the Cookie Brigade, Peñuelas said. Students will bake cookies that will be sold to raise money to buy stuffed animals for children staying at Ronald McDonald House.

The house is a place for families who travel long distances to accompany children receiving medical care in Harlingen, Peñuelas said.

Alondra Castillo, 12, said Lunch Bunch motivates her and other students to make better grades.

"They give us school supplies when we need them, we play games outside and we made Stop Using Drugs posters," she said.

Brenda Martinez, 14, an eighth-grader at Vernon, said a friend told her about the Lunch Bunch.

"We socialize with people, talk to each other," she said. "She (friend) said it would be great to help other people. It's a fun time."

Kimberly Ray, 11, a sixth-grader at Vernon, said, "I like to help people and do field trips like this."