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LEHI -- A Utah County teacher has found a way to keep her students healthy while benefiting local charities.
McKenzie Mauigoa, a health teacher at Willowcreek Middle School, is not a fan of Halloween, or at least of all the candy that comes with it.
"All of that candy drives me crazy," she said. "No one person needs multiple pounds of candy in a short amount of time."
Not wanting to discourage her students from participating in Halloween festivities, Mauigoa instead decided to challenge them to give some of their candy to a local homeless shelter, which would use the candy in the sack lunches shelter employees distribute daily.
"I understand that not all kids trick-or-treat in junior high, but there is still plenty of candy floating around at their houses, at parties, and so on," Mauigoa said. "I decided that something good could be done with that candy. It could go to a better place."
She received about 50 pounds of candy in both 2009 and 2010, but collected an astounding 290 pounds this year.
Mauigoa said the inspiration for the challenge three years ago came from a student who suggested donating Halloween candy to a Provo homeless shelter. She received about 50 pounds of candy in both 2009 and 2010, but collected an astounding 290 pounds this year.
"I don't really know what changed," she said. "Everyone really got behind the cause and wanted to give it to someplace else."
This year, Mauigoa will donate half of the candy to a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City and half to one in Provo.
"Like I said, no one needs that much candy," she said.
Her 230 students were hesitant to participate at first, thinking their teacher would take the candy home for herself instead of donating it to charity. The candy started coming in a couple pieces at a time, then the students just jumped on board with enthusiasm.
Other teachers were supportive of the project, peeking in on Mauigoa's classroom to check on the progress and perhaps trying to pull a few tricks of their own.
"A couple tried to steal a piece or two, but the kids are really protective of it," Mauigoa laughed. "They're proud of their work."
The class period that donated the most candy over a two-week period earned a free period, but for many, participating in a good cause was motivation enough.
"I wanted to do it because it would go to a homeless shelter," said Laura, a student of Mauigoa's. "I thought it was a good idea because they would want some candy too. I think they're going to be really grateful because it's something they don't get often."
A local Chick-fil-A offered to throw a party for the winning class after being contacted by the PTA, but students didn't find out about the offer until after the contest.
"They were very excited," Mauigoa said. "It was a great experience."
It was an experience her students have taken to heart.
"I feel really glad that we gave them this," Laura said. "It's a thing of giving -- it's not really that hard. You get a ton of candy and you just have to give some of it away."
"It was a great idea we really made a difference."
