GENEROSITY, SPELLED F-U-N.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

On Christmas morning, five Shasta Middle School eighth-graders will be thinking of a certain 12-year-old boy who loves action figures.

They don't know his name or where he lives, but that didn't stop them from agonizing for more than a half-hour Friday at Wal-Mart over precisely which action figures and play sets he might like best.

Tim Cammann weighed in on the merits of a LEGO Robo Platoon set.

"What I like about LEGOs is you can do, like, a whole bunch of stuff with them," he said.

Dane Anguiano gleefully examined the Hot Wheels Super Smash Overpass. "Oh, they, like, run into each other," he said. "One more violent thing to give this kid!"

Joined by the entire eighth-grade class and teaching staff, the group - four boys and one girl, all of them 13 or 14 years old - descended on the Delta Oaks Wal-Mart shortly before 10 a.m. At the same time, Shasta sixth-graders were flooding the West 11th Wal-Mart, while the seventh-graders hit up the Springfield store.

The students divided into small, teacher-assigned groups, each given a chaperone, $25 to spend and a tag from either the Giving Tree at Valley River Center or the Tree of Joy at Gateway Mall. The money, approximately $2,500 schoolwide, was raised mostly through a letter-writing campaign to local businesses.

The tags gave sketchy information about a needy individual in the community, along with a brief holiday "wish list." Various agencies, including the Relief Nursery, the Department of Human Services and the Salvation Army, provide the tags.

The eighth-grade group's tag said simply this: "12-year-old male, wants action figures or toys."

The students strategized a little beforehand, deciding to eschew toys requiring batteries, as the boy's family might not be able to afford replacements. They agreed they wanted the most bang for the buck.

"What they decided is they wanted to pick a lot of things so he can use his imagination and play for hours on end," said Tracy Anguiano, Dane's mother and the group's chaperone.

Three of the students kicked in money of their own, bringing the total they had to spend to $55 - enough to buy quite a lot from the toy aisles of Wal-Mart. The students tried to keep a running verbal tally, but frequently had to regroup and add everything up again.

All five students were clearly in their element, acknowledging that they, too, still like to play with action figures, LEGOs and Hot Wheels.

Katie, who has a 15-year-old brother, said she wasn't the least bit sorry she missed out on shopping for dolls or toy horses or other girly fare.

"I think this stuff is a lot more fun," she said.

The students were so engrossed in their shopping they didn't quite finish and had to rush off to the checkout counter. The tab for five Corps action figures, a Stealth Recon Operation Vehicle, a six-pack of Hot Wheels, a Hot Wheels Super Smash Overpass set, the LEGO Robo Platoon, a Hot Wheels Nitrox Mine set and a LEGO Dino Attack set was just $43.25.

"We bought him a lot of stuff," Dane said. "This is cool."

The students then boarded the yellow school bus bound for Valley River Center, where they were to drop off the gifts and have lunch before heading back to school.

This was the 10th year Shasta students have shopped for the Giving Tree, although the project has morphed into something slightly different - and much larger - over the years.

Teacher Zall Villanueva brought along the idea when he came to Shasta from Wyatt School outside Harrisburg.

"We decided to teach a little community service, teach them that it's better to give than to receive," he said.

It began with his homeroom, but soon other classrooms jumped aboard. For the past four years, it's been a schoolwide event.

The venue is also relatively new, Villanueva said. For years, the kids did their shopping at Valley River Center.

"You can get more things for less price at Wal-Mart," he said. "We're trying to do the most good for the most number of people, so we go wherever the price is best."

He said he's heard little grumbling about the switch in loyalties, even with Wal-Mart's controversial corporate image.

Wal-Mart also gives a discount, Villanueva said - 10 percent this year. One store even threw in a $50 gift card, which the school will give to a classmate whose family's home was destroyed in a fire last week.

CAPTION(S):

Marriah Bayless nabs a top-shelf treasure while shopping with fellow Shasta Middle School students Friday at the Delta Oaks Wal-Mart.