The holiday season is a time for giving back and being with your family. Joliet Central truly accomplished this goal with the first year Winter Wonderland. The Winter Wonderland; in honor of Ryan M McCarroll a student from Joliet township whose life ended tragically in 2002. His family started a scholarship to raise money for other athletes just like him. As a way to raise money to donate to the Ryan M McCarroll memorial fund Joliet Central hosted the Winter Wonderland event which is usually held at Joliet West. The event was put together by Ms. Vanderhyden. The word about the event was spread through email to faculty and students. The event was held on December 3^rd. The moment you walked into the school you felt the holiday spirit. Cameron and Breanna two elves dressed in their full elf gear greeted you at the door and passed out candy canes while also helping with the many activities they had. The activities that were included was breakfast, crafts, and a raffle. The raffle had prizes ranging from Steelmen gear to Chicago Bulls tickets. To add on to the Steelmen pride Joliet Central’s Steelmen mascot was there to participate in the festivities. This event truly was a great way for families to spend the day together and have fun.  By the end of the night after having people purchase raffle tickets and pictures the event had raised over one thousand dollars that was then donated to the McCarroll scholarship fund as a surprise. By the end of the day Winter Wonderland not only reached its goal but brought to life the idea of giving back and being with family.