Students honor service members during holidays | Centre Daily Times

Students at Soaring Heights School are doing their part to make sure at least one central Pennsylvania soldier gets a special “thanks” this Christmas.

Program director John Dibert said students collected gifts for active servicemen and women as a way to show their support.

Students also donated items to be sent to Capt. Timothy Tangen, a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force.

Tangen was a pastor at Northwood Baptist Chapel in Tyrone.

The school learned about Tangen from a parent of a student at SHS who attends Tangen’s church.

A report from the school said the care packages included chips, beef jerky, microwave popcorn, hard candy, playing cards and student-made Christmas cards.

The items were collected on Nov. 18 and sent soon after to ensure they will make it oversees by Christmas.

“We try every year to include community service with our student to teach them the value (of) giving back,” Dibert said. “We have tried every year to do something with the students for service men and women.”

And he hopes something like this project will become a tradition.

“We try to teach and instill community values for our students,” Dibert said. “They need to understand that they need to be giving back and helping others. This is just one simple way for the students to learn this important civic value.”

SHS is a school for special needs students.