A Christmas surprise for a needy school

Principal Brenda McKinney grabs her handheld radio and issues the "go" order.

"Teachers, bring your students now," she says, initiating the Monday morning sting in Wendell Williams Elementary School's cafeteria.

Her command resonates from the radio at the hip of Assistant Principal Fred Robinson, who is making last-minute preparations in the cafeteria.

"This will be a big surprise for them," he says, noting that some parents can't afford jackets or socks, much less Christmas presents. "Many wear shorts all winter because they have no pants."

About 98 percent of Williams' students live in poverty, according to the federal free and reduced lunch program. Many have jackets only because the J Street school provides them.

"It's their own jacket. They get really excited," Robinson says.

But what's waiting behind the velvety red curtain soon will have them screaming.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for these kids," says special education teacher Kevin Batista, who has discovered that, despite living in Las Vegas, many students have never seen the Strip or left the neighborhood.

Similar surprises are being orchestrated across the Clark County School District this final week before the holiday break because of local businesses volunteering to sponsor "at-risk" schools. For a school to be "at-risk," at least half its students must live in poverty. And the number of needy schools has skyrocketed from 90 in the 2009-10 academic year to 224 this year. The district, the fifth-largest in the nation, has 357 schools.

Fortunately, businesses have stepped up. Kurt Arnold, coordinator for the district's School-Community Partnership Program, says 246 companies are matched with schools, providing multiple partners to schools with the most need.

La Bonita Supermarkets adopted four schools near its stores this year after hearing many shopping parents complain about struggling to buy books, spokeswoman Christina Martinez says. Ninety-five percent of La Bonita's customers are Hispanic, she says, and their children need to learn English but grow up in Spanish-speaking households.

"It's all about reading," Martinez says.

The company will provide books and help year-round by giving students reading rewards, such as a coupon for a Mexican bread that students crave and other treats.

Back at Williams, more than 300 students are filing into the cafeteria and gathering in front of Principal McKinney.

"How many of you think you deserve a big present, huge?" she asks.

Students scream "me" and raise their arms, standing to reach even higher as the curtain opens and music begins.

Eight figures in expressionless, white masks are immediately recognized by the children, who have seen the hip-hop dance crew, Jabbawockeez, on TV but never in person.

"If I tell my mom, she won't believe me," fifth-grader Jamaxey McKellar says.

They perform for about 10 minutes, closing with one member spinning around on his head about a dozen times.

"I haven't seen these kids so excited since ... "

Batista stops midsentence, failing to come up with a last time. Then he adds, "Santa, Jabbawockeez, pizza, cupcakes, gifts."

The surprise is more than entertainment provided by the school's sponsor, the Review-Journal, and gift bags of candy and educational games. It provides a message that the performers take seriously, says 31-year-old Rynan Paguio, who was a founding member of the group whose dancers grew up practicing in one another's garages.

"Who knew where it would take us?" he says. "But it definitely kept us out of trouble and gangs."

Jests Joe Larot, another crew member: "It was also the only thing to do for free."

The group just returned from performing in Brazil and signed a six-year contract with the Luxor that starts in April.

Students need to see where determination can take them, which they don't see often, says Rita Sims, a school security guard here for 36 years. She has seen generations of families come through the classrooms and attended the school herself.

"We want the best for them," she says.

Adds 13-year security guard Cynthia Thompson: "And we expect the best from them."

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.