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| By Paula Canning Staff Writer CHICOPEE As Hurricane Katrina relief efforts continue nationwide, many local students are lending a hand to help raise money for the victims. Among these students are four Fairview Middle School eight graders, who took it upon themselves to raise funds for those affected by disaster by hosting a week-long bake sale that began on Sept. 19. The four girls, Carly Breault, Amanda Bucchan, Sarah Mitchelle, and Sara Moller, managed to raise a total of $290 by selling their homemade cookies, brownies, Rice Krispy treats, cupcakes and other desserts at a table set up outside of the cafeteria after the school's three lunch periods. "We thought about how we would feel if it happened to us and decided that it would be really nice to raise some money for [the victims]," said Breault, who spearheaded the fund-raiser with the help of history teacher, Janet Masciorta, and Fairview Principal Michelle Patyka. Breault added that she was especially struck by the idea that people lost family members and loved ones. Breault said she and the other three girls were as creative as possible in making the baked goods, which featured such items as chocolate covered Oreos with Hershey Kisses on top "witch-hats," and chocolate covered pretzels. "I pretty much come from a family of cooks," Breault said, explaining that the girls did not need any assistance or supervision while baking. "We pretty much knew what we were doing." Cupcakes were sold for $.75 , the Rice Krispy treats were sold for $.45, and the lowest priced baked good was the "witch hats," which were sold for $.35. Breault said they decided to donate all of the money to the American Red Cross, because the father of one of her friends is employed at the organization. Masciotra, who helped the students to organize the fund-raiser, said that the school is hosting another collection for the Katrina victims in each of the home rooms. The proceeds will also be donated to the American Red Cross. She added that the three vice-principals at Fairview have decided to match the first $50 in donations. Masciotra said that when she learned of the disaster, "it wasn't even a question," that the school would do something to help. "We all wanted to help in whatever way that we could," she said. Masciorta thinks it's "just wonderful," that the the four students who hosted the bake sale would take the initiative to offer aid to the Katrina victims. "I think it's great that [the girls] showed they care about other people and about being a humanitarian," said Patyka. She added that in today's society, doing anything to promote this type of good will is "never harmful." *** Joining Fairview in the relief effort is Chicopee Comprehensive High School (CCHS), which has manage to raise a total of $3,736 for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Stefan Czaporowski, a social studies teacher and Student Council advisor at CCHS, said that the drive was part of an annual service project that the students complete each year. Organized by the Student Council, Czaporowski said that money was collected over a five-day period in which buckets were placed outside of the cafeteria during the school's lunch periods. Czaporowski said that although he was planning on approaching the Council about hosting a drive for the victims, Student Council President Rachel Feyer, a senior at CCHS, emailed him with the idea prior to the start of school. To increase the amount of donations, the fund-raiser was conducted as a competition between the classes, with the sophomores emerging as the victorious class, followed by the senior, junior, and freshman classes. "I was really moved by the amount of money that the students raised in such a short period of time," Czaporowski said. He said that "passion," is the word that comes to mind when he thinks of the students efforts. "Knowing that they are aware of the suffering of their fellow Americans and the fact that they wanted to help out is just amazing," he said. To actual drive raised $1,868 in total donations, which the Student Council then matched with funds accumulated from student dances and fund-raisers hosted during the previous year, bringing the total to $3,736. *** Also helping in the relief effort is Bowe Elementary School's fifth grade class. By organizing a school-wide collection over a three-week period, the students raised an estimated $2,000, according to fifth grade teacher Nicole Masse. Leading the students along with Masse was fifth grade teachers Donna Kucinski and Kathy Gunning. Masse explained that $1,200 of the total amount raised will go to the Red Cross, while the remaining $800 will be split between two other organizations. She said that while the students were involved in the effort as they collected, counted, and rolled the money, they were "really excited and had a great time with it." The drive, which began on Sept. 12, was part of the fifth grade's community service project, which they complete each year. In past years, students have volunteered or raised money for local soup kitchen and hospitals. Masse said she was "amazed" at how much money the students managed to raise. "I didn't even know if we were going to reach the $1,000 mark, so to raise over $2,000 was just fabulous," she said. |