Most celebrities have people who help them keep up public relations, and Santa Claus is no exception. With his busy season in full swing, Santa received some help this year from Dixie State University students in keeping up with his Christmas letters.
Members of the DSU chapter of the international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta lent a helping hand and responded to letters that 22 second-graders at Crimson View Elementary in St. George had sent Santa this holiday season.
With word spreading around her classroom that Santa Claus may not be real, one Crimson View teacher was searching for a way to lift the spirits of those who weren’t quite ready to stop believing. That’s when DSU’s Sigma Tau Delta suggested that the elementary students write letters to the big guy in red, and the DSU students would respond. As part of their responses — which were typed on Christmas paper — Santa’s helpers replied to students’ specific questions and requests, proving that the letters really were read.
Once the response letters were written, they were submitted to Crimson View Principal Nathan Esplin, who delivered the letters to the kids, informing them with excitement that they had just arrived from the North Pole.
In addition to providing an opportunity for the DSU students to practice the writing skills they learn in class, the project allowed them to make connections with the community and build a sense of home and belonging while in St. George for college. The Sigma Tau Delta students are planning on expanding the project and working with more classes next year.
In addition to serving as Santa’s elves, students in Sigma Tau Delta meet regularly for academic discussions. They have also been invited to enter the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., in March 2016. One of a limited number of schools invited to present, DSU was awarded first place for its Outstanding Chapter Display at last year’s conference.
To learn more about Dixie State University’s Department of English and the English baccalaureate degree that offers emphases in Creative Writing, English Education, Literary Studies and Professional and Technical Writing, visit www.dixie.edu/english.
