WILLOW WOOD — As in the past decades, the members of the Beta Club of Symmes Valley High School have once more exemplified the spirit of the Christmas season.

On Wednesday the club began distributing the packages that were brought in for their Angel Tree, an annual holiday event.

“During the month before the last week of school, we have paper angels on a tree in the cafeteria,” Brent Cox, Beta Club adviser, said.

On those paper angels are written the needs and wants of children in the area who without the Angel Tree might not have as bright a Christmas.

Then Secret Santas in the Symmes Valley community and the students in the district select an angel and go shopping for those children.

“Some people might take more than one,” Cox said.

Those helping out may spend between $50 to $100, providing warm coats, pants and other items for the children.

“They bring the present back wrapped or unwrapped,” Cox said. “If unwrapped, the Beta Club wraps it and the kids keep track of them and call the parents to come get them.”

This year there are 27 members of the Beta Club, an educational elite club at the school, whose membership takes in the top 10 percent of the sophomores, top 15 percent of the juniors and two 20 percent of the seniors.

“They always step up,” Cox said. “The kids here always step up. They understand the needs of other. They are very sensitive of others.”