The city of Indio kicked off the holiday season on Friday night with the city’s annual tree lighting ceremony and many Shadow Hills students were in attendance.
Aside from nudging people into the holiday spirit, the event is popular for other reasons and Friday’s ceremony was no exception. There were food vendors, along with live entertainment — our own Shadow Hills Choir performed — an area for young kids to play, and of course, Santa!
Anthony Castaneda (‘25) was excited, even before the event. “I missed last year, so I gotta go this year,” he explained. He said he knew it would be a great opportunity to spend time with his younger sibling and the rest of his family.
While spending time with family was a common theme among students in attendance – the holidays are often spent with those we care about – there were other reasons Knights chose to participate.
Julissa Cornejo (‘26) attended as a member of the Indio Youth Advisory Council. “I wanted to give back to the community,” she pointed out, “and have a good event for Indio.”
For Castaneda, the ceremony didn’t disappoint. Knight Times staff caught up with the senior as he was enjoying the evening with his family. “I wanted to experience it for the first time and be in the Christmas spirit,” he said.
