Reading Books to Help Haiti
After hearing about the tragedy in Haiti, Nassakeag Elementary School librarian Debrah Bogenhagen and library secretary Judy Gavin worked to create an activity that would not only help to raise funds for the nation in need but also engaged students in a meaningful learning activity. The project, which they called Helping Hands for Haiti Read-A-Thon, has been successfully implemented in all five of the Three Village Central School District’s elementary schools.
For their participation in the program, the students were asked to seek monetary donations from their friends and family as a reward for the books that they read. To date, the students have raised $14,479, which will be divided between Action Against Hunger and Doctors Without Borders.
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Selling Roses to Help Haiti
R.C. Murphy Junior High School’s Student Government donated the proceeds of their Valentine’s Day rose sale to UNICEF, one of the organizations working to help rebuild Haiti after the recent earthquake. The students purchased the artificial roses during their lunch periods, which were delivered to the intended recipients just in time for Valentine’s Day. As a result of the sale, the students raised more than $1,000 for UNICEF.
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Speakers Inspire Students
Students at R.C. Murphy Junior High School in the Three Village Central School District have learned that life’s obstacles, big or small, do not define, nor should they limit a person from participating in activities that they enjoy. In conjunction with the school’s desire to promote disability awareness, this winter students learned how their choices can change their life in an instant when two inspiring speakers visited the school.
Brooke Ellison, a former R.C. Murphy Junior High School student and highly decorated individual, spoke with the school’s seventh graders about her life as a quadriplegic and the obstacles she has been faced with. On Brooke’s first day of seventh grade at R.C. Murphy, a car struck her while she walked home from school, an accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down.
“It is always so nice to come back here and visit Murphy,” stated Brooke, who addressed the students with her mother, Jean, by her side. “I believe that we all have a responsibility to share what we’ve learned with others…there will always be challenges in your life, but as long as you have a true understanding of who you are deep down, you will be okay.”
Jason Soricelli, a man bound to his wheelchair after a dirt bike accident, spoke with the school’s students during their gym classes and demonstrated that, even though he needs the assistance of the chair to get around, it has not stopped him from maintaining an athletic lifestyle. After speaking with the classes, Jason invited each of the students to join him in playing a game of wheelchair basketball – a sport Jason has become a professional in. Students, and even a few teachers, enjoyed learning the rules of the game and testing their skills at the sport.
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