High school students gear up for their job at the Polar Express this winter season, where kids and families ride the train in the spirit of magic. It’s a common and fun job for high school students at DHS and it’s flexible, interactive and allows more time with friends. This was what El Diablo found out when interviewing high school students like Iris Chambers, a senior with almost three years of work experience on the Polar Express.
“The first year, I really loved working there cause it just gave me like a new sense of community,” She expressed in a recent interview, “like there’s just so many cool people that work there and it’s mostly people my age so I just really bonded with a lot of people.”
Interacting with co-workers and families seems to be one of the main reasons this job has attracted so many high school students. It also allows them to work after school and gives them flexible hours.
“I think it’s like a fun job especially if you like interacting with kids and like you don’t mind working later hours, but it’s also like a really flexible job,” Ivy Storc, another high school student who works on the Polar Express said in an interview. Storc added “You can see like their faces when you’re at the North Pole and they’re all like so excited to be there and it’s so like real to them.”
The Polar Express was written by Chris Van Allsburg in 1985 and it has now developed into an animated movie, merchandise, and experiences like the magic train ride put on by Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. According to Five Mind-Blowing Polar Express Facts from trains.com, it is full of magic and Christmas spirit, a tradition lasting since 2004, when the animated movie directed by Robert Zemeckis was released.
There is a belief and hope in magic that so many young children have and it is strengthened by the Polar Express. Zoe Golden, a senior at DHS, explains how magic drives us in our lives, and how we all find magic.
“Magic is such a cool concept and even as like an adult I feel like, you know, we still find ways to find magic.” She explains, “I feel like for kids it’s really important that we foster their imaginations because creativity is really important.”
Chambers and Golden both recognize looks of true belief and awe in the faces of kids that ride the train. It’s a special part of the job, even for students who have been at the Polar Express for a long time. Sydney Vassar, a twelfth grade student at DHS, has volunteered and worked there for 4 years, saying that she comes back every year because she loves the Christmas spirit.
After talking with Storc, Chambers, Golden, and Vassar it seems the Polar Express is the job of the season for Durango students, giving flexibility, time with friends and the joy of magic.
