TRUCKEE and#8212; The Sugar Bowl Academy 10th-grade advisory group (otherwise known as the Ocho Locos) took the lead by preparing and selling baked goods, raising nearly $100 toward the eventual $350 the group spent on gifts for a single mother and her two tweener children.

and#8220;Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, because I feel like everybody gets really generous and family oriented, so Iand#8217;m glad that weand#8217;re able to help a family experience that too who are not so fortunate,and#8221; said Ocho Locos advisory member Maya Crosby.

The younger-girlsand#8217; advisory group under the direction of SBA teacher Kristen Lew and Nordic ski coach Jeff Schloss also adopted a family for Christmas, chipping in their own money toward the purchase of gifts to make Christmas brighter for another Placer County family.

and#8220;It’s a continuation of what we started with our community service work this fall,and#8221; said Giordano, chairman of the SBA Advisory Committee. and#8220;Itand#8217;s important that our student-athletes feel a sense of connection to their community and a responsibility for making that community a better place, and it has been nice to see that our kids have embraced this role enthusiastically.and#8221;

and#8212; Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.com