This month, a busload of 7-year-olds arrived on the KU School of Medicine-Wichita campus for one of the most beloved events of the holiday season.

For 25 years, the medical school's faculty, staff, students and resident physicians have provided gifts to every second-grade student at Park Elementary, located just two miles west of the medical school.

The 50-60 students enjoy snacks and drinks, then “Baby Jay Santa” — complete with suit and hat — hands out a gift to each child.

"They all open them at the same time, and then it's just mayhem,” said Jennifer Eaton, senior communications coordinator in the Office of Public Affairs, who has coordinated Park Elementary events for a dozen years.

It’s a moment some former students look back on as a highlight of their elementary school career.

“I really loved the present-opening part,” said Trinh Nguyen, a former Park Elementary student who is now a sophomore at Wichita North High School. “I remember, I got a doll — a Barbie, I think. I loved it. I really love Christmas but didn’t get to celebrate it much.”

The party is a joyful experience for the teachers and staff, too, said Eric Dodge, a behavioral interventionist at Park.

“I remember the mouths opened wide and the screams and the yells and the joy at getting a gift,” said Dodge, who has taught second grade in the past. “Sometimes our kids don’t get a lot at home, so there’s sheer joy in seeing that.”

To pull off a successful holiday party for the Park students, preparations begin well in advance. Students request up to three gifts, then KU School of Medicine-Wichita students, residents, faculty and staff sign up to purchase and gift wrap one item per child.

The Department of Pediatrics purchases gifts from wish lists not distributed.

“As pediatricians dedicated to the wellness of children and their families, some campus initiatives hit a little closer to our hearts than others, and the Park Elementary relationship is a great example,” said Brian Pate, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “Our department is motivated to be part of the holiday gift program because we want to do our small part in assuring that every child experiences the hope, joy and sense of belonging that all of us wish for during this time of year.”

Coordinating the Park Elementary holiday party originated with Kay Albright, the former director of what was then called University Relations.

The partnership between the two schools extends beyond the holiday season. A relatively recent addition to the schedule is a fifth-grade trip to the Simulation Center at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, where the elementary students can interact with high-tech manikins and even learn CPR. In October, the medical school hosts third graders for a Halloween party. Public Affairs also spearheads an annual school-supply drive benefiting Park Elementary.

Dodge said the supplies are particularly useful at a school like Park, where many students’ families can’t afford to buy new supplies every year. He also pointed out that KU School of Medicine-Wichita was one of the first organizations to organize supply drives.

“KU was a forerunner in supporting us with that,” Dodge said. “And these supplies directly impact student success because they must have supplies to do well in school. They’ve got to have paper, they’ve got to have pencils, they’ve got to have glue.”

Eaton puts out a call for supplies based on what the administration at Park says they need. After COVID-19, the water fountains were disabled for a time, so KU School of Medicine-Wichita donated branded water bottles for each student.

For the Halloween parties, departments sign up to decorate and hand out treats. The most ambitious create haunted houses or haunted mazes to thrill the kiddos. Staff members volunteer to lead groups of children around the campus so they can collect candy in their new KUSM-W tote bags.

“The Halloween party was almost like walking into a theme park, it looked so amazing," Nguyen remembers. “I really liked how people in the KU medical school greeted all of us and gave us so much candy and little trinkets. It was magical.”

Pate said the Park Elementary partnership is another way to introduce local students to the medical school.

We hope that when children see KU School of Medicine-Wichita stepping forward in a program like the holiday gifts, those children become curious about us and perhaps inspired to be part of our community someday in the future,” he said.

Dodge has seen that inspiration flourish first-hand.

“We have some pictures of some of our big bad macho fifth-grade boys holding (medical manikin) babies last year,” he said. “They had never held a baby before, but they learned a little bit about how to care for them and how to do CPR. They came back talking about, ‘Oh maybe I want to be a doctor. I could do this.’”

While Nguyen isn’t sure about her future career, she says the health care field is one possibility. But one thing is certain: Nguyen feels an allegiance to KU. On “college Fridays” at North High, she’s one of the students in crimson and blue.

_{Above, left: Trinh Nguyen, now a sophomore at Wichita North High School, remembers her time at Park Elementary School with fondness, including her visit to KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 2015.}

_{Above, center: Second graders at Park Elementary cheered as they opened gifts on Dec. 7 at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.}

_{Above, lower right: Park Elementary students hold up school supplies from their friends at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.}

_{Above, lower left: Park Elementary students trick-or-treat at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, walking past Academic & Student Affairs staff.}

Holiday photo album

The magic of the season was evident when Park Elementary students recently visited KU School of Medicine-Wichita for their annual holiday event with Baby Jay Santa. View the online photo album to see some of the exciting moments, or click on the album below.