In previous years, the Boothbay Region Elementary School PTO's main fundraising activity has been selling concessions at the school's basketball games. This year, the PTO has allowed the students traveling to Florida for the “Splash into Science” trip in May to take over concessions to help raise money for their trip.

The members of the PTO put their heads together to come up with an idea that would both raise money and benefit the families of BRES. They are opening a Holiday Gift Shop for the students of BRES, where they can shop for holiday gifts for their friends and family. And yes, members of the community are welcome to come shop, too.

There will be about 200 items in the shop, located in the entrance lobby of BRES, with prices ranging from 25 cents up to nine dollars. Most are in the middle range.

“This gives students an opportunity they wouldn't normally have, shopping on their own for gifts,” president of the PTO Mary Baudo said. “The shop will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. from Dec. 7 through the 11th, with extended hours for the basketball games on December 7 and 11.”

The PTO opened a couple of boxes of merchandise at its meeting on Nov. 30. Going through the boxes, members remarked on the quality of items received. Just some of the items for sale include simple jewelry, stickers featuring “Frozen” Disney characters, small inspirational books, fuzzy socks, small travel lanterns, toys and coloring sheets. There are also items featuring regional sports teams such as the Red Sox and Patriots.

Classes will have designated times during the school day that they can come visit the shop. Parents, who received a letter about the shop this week, have an opportunity to teach kids about budgeting and buying for others, whether they set a specific budget or let kids use their own allowance.

“We're hoping it will be a fun way to get kids excited,” vice president Nikki Main said. “My daughter is in fifth grade and she's pretty excited about it. Kids don't often get a chance to shop on their own.”

The PTO is planning other activities as well. According to Baudo, they are hoping to plan a movie night at the local Harbor Theatre, and are considering a friendly snowman-building competition between the classrooms. They recently threw a “teacher appreciation” breakfast at the school on November 6, which Main said was “huge” and appreciated greatly by the teachers.

“I made a gluten-free pumpkin bread – and I don't bake!” Baudo said.

Twenty percent of the money from items sold at the Holiday Shop goes to the school. While many members of the PTO have volunteered their time to help run the store, they are looking for more volunteers. Anyone interested can call Nikki Main at 207-350-7399.