CLEARFIELD—Christmas is around the corner and kindergarteners at South Clearfield Elementary received an early present – new shoes. “Elves” surprised the children last week.

“We read the book ‘Elves and the Shoemaker’ then jingle bells outside of the classroom,” said Principal Robbie Kinghorn. “The kids follow the bells into the library and find the box with their name on it. The shoes are a size up so they can grow into them. They’re so excited to see the gift.”

It’s the highlight of the year, he said. “As an adult I really look forward to it. It truly helps the kids to get a new pair of shoes that are sturdy so they can be passed down to a younger brother or sister.”

Kinghorn said the kids are so excited when they get the new shoes. “One girl was jumping up and down and told me she was never going to take them off. Then she said, ‘well, I’ll take them off when I go to bed but then I’ll put them on again when I wake up.’ You can hear the excitement in their voices as they’re running around the library to show them off.”

About 60 kindergarteners receive the shoes, said Kinghorn. “All the kids get them so you never know the need. Some families let pride get in the way so they’d never ask but this way we’re still able to help them. I was raised nearby the school and I didn’t get my first name brand shoes until I was in the sixth grade. We couldn’t afford them.”

The event is sponsored by Mountain America Credit Union, Nike and the Davis Education Foundation. 

“Several years ago, Robbie Kinghorn heard about a Salt Lake school that was doing it,” said Lucy Kunzler, Marketing Director for the Davis Education Foundation. “He loved the idea so he started doing it for kindergarteners. There’s a lot of kids who come from disadvantaged families. Both the kids and their parents are surprised. Robbie said he gets emails from parents thanking him. It’s a cool program.”

The Foundation does this every year, she said. “Without the generosity of our donors we wouldn’t be able to do it. We’re grateful for our community partners.”

Now that winter is here, it couldn’t come at a better time Kunzler said. “It’s a big deal. It’s hard to focus in class if your feet are cold and wet. It’s a great program that Principal Kinghorn has put together to remove obstacles to learning. You can tell he loves his students.”

“These are shoes that are going to last so their toes are not breaking through,” said Kinghorn. “It’s something that we can provide for families so they’ve got a warm pair of shoes on their feet.”