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WHEELING - Wrapping presents, baking cookies and making plans to visit family are the typical pleasantries during Christmastime. But not everyone gets to enjoy these traditions - at least not in a traditional way.

At the Northern Regional Juvenile Correction Center in Wheeling, Director Linda Scott tries to make Christmas less gray for the boys and girls sentenced to serve time there for wrongdoings.

Each year, Scott places a lighted tree in the facility's lobby to send a message to new arrivals. She wants the children, who will be serving time there for breaking laws, to know the former Lincoln School is not all that bad, despite its appearance and rules.

"We do more than storehouse kids," Scott said. "We try to develop their skills and help them make better choices."

The detention center's interior looks like a jail. The cells are plain concrete block, each containing two tidy bunks, a steel toilet and nothing else. The boys and girls, who typically are 10-18 years old, wear plain tops and bottoms - tan or bright orange in color. They are given some extra layers to wear underneath when it is cold.

During Christmastime, the center's staff try to make the atmosphere a little warmer. The children make crafts for their parents, decorate a tree and have a special dinner with their family where gifts are exchanged. The holiday dinner took place Dec. 16. On Christmas Day, the children will wake up to a brunch buffet. And later, dinner fare will be available for the rest of the evening.

"Some kids don't get good homecooking like we have here," Scott said, noting the boys and girls often gain weight while at the facility.

Many, she noted, are resistant to eating homecooked meals because they have only ever known fast food and junk food. Head cook Dottie Marling said a few dishes are unrecognizable to some children.

"Like these pork (ribs). They'll say, 'What are these? How do I eat these?"' Marling said.

For 14-year-old Ra-Chelle, 2009 will mark her second Christmas at the center. She is among the 13 other children currently at the facility that has a capacity of 19.

"The staff are nice to us. They let us stay up late to watch movies. ... They let us have more visits with our family," she said of her first Christmas experience at the center.

Scott believes what makes the Lincoln Center different than other juvenile detention centers is its staff.

"The majority of them enjoy being here. There's something different. They treat the kids as individuals. It's a different relationship," Scott said.

She said there are people who believe the children don't deserve to celebrate Christmas because they are serving time for breaking laws.

"They're just kids. ... In a place like this, it's not just gifts. It's about providing support and families support," she noted.

Support includes helping parents see their children by providing transportation when needed. For example, parents often need rides to visit their children during monthly family dinners. And during these visits, counselors will talk with parents to help them improve their own skills. In addition to school, held daily at the facility from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., counselor Ruth McGriff holds art therapy sessions to allow the children to express their emotions via projects.

Volunteers from the community, such as college students and ministers, also visit.

And privileges, such as watching television or playing games, must be earned and are based on good behavior.

"There's a lot of laughs here and a lot of tears," Scott noted.

The center is regulated by the state of West Virginia, but is part of Youth Services System Inc., in Wheeling. YSS staff member Mike Toothman noted all of the organization's facilities have Christmas programs.

"It's important for the kids to get together with people who care about them and enjoy the season," Toothman said. "We see kids in various states of being hurt and confused. We try to sort things out and help them year round."

In a drawing by facility resident Kayla, a phrase on the art piece may best sum up not only the girl's belief, but Scott's attitude toward the children - "NRJC loves you." Kayla's artwork is included in the 2010 YSS calendar.

YSS also has two emergency shelters for youth: Samaritan House in Wheeling and the Helinski Shelter in Moundsville. The Tuel Center in New Martinsville teaches basic living skills and offers therapeutic services to men and women 18-20 years old.