By:Carrie James
The World Trade Center catastrophe of Sept. 11 has shaken the nation, especially New York, to its core. Many, however, are uniting to aid in the relief effort.
In East Meadow, school children at every grade level have taken a role in helping put the nation back together, whether the young people are decorating halls with paper American flags or raising funds for the American Red Cross.
"Students have been writing letters that are being sent to families through the computer teacher and her classes," said Lou Panzica, principal at Parkway Elementary School, which also recently held a candlelight vigil on school grounds to remember those lost in the terrorist attacks. "The children made this huge poster 12 feet by 4 feet that says, 'Our support for our heroes,' and all the kids have signed it. The night of the vigil, the PTA had the kids make a flag with their hand prints."
On the day after the attacks, Dr. Vincent Cirello, Clarke High School principal, visited classes, trying to put everyone at ease. Students, though, had already begun discussing what such a monumental event meant to the United States and its history.
"I and others visited social-studies classes, and the social-studies teachers took the lead, letting the kids view CNN and letting students express their concerns and questions," Cirello said. "We felt that at the high-school level, the most important thing was to tell the truth and assure them they were safe."
Almost immediately, Clarke students jumped into the relief effort, to date raising more than $3,500 for the American Red Cross. They also planted a tree in their courtyard as a memorial to the tragedy.
"The tree planting does two things," Cirello said. "First of all, it provides closure to this tragedy, and secondly, it also it serves as a constant reminder of those who lost their lives."
At first, East Meadow students gathered such goods as clean shirts and underwear, bottles of water and snack foods, but soon they learned that it was better to collect funds and donate them to various organizations. Many have sold red, white and blue ribbons or held raffles or given from their club's income.
At Parkway Elementary, students raised money. A couple of children had a lemonade stand and collected $500, Panzica said.
Just because many schools have switched to collecting money didn't stop Barnum Woods students from personalizing water bottles that were sent directly to ground zero last week.
"Our students donated over 1,000 bottles of water, putting messages on them such as 'thank you for your bravery," said Rich Lagattolla, assistant principal. "They supposedly made it to the front line quickly due to the personalization."
Clarke High School students are planning a blood drive for October, and East Meadow High School is continuing to raise money, said Bob McKean, interim principal there.
"The student leadership group has already raised more than $2,000 for the American Red Cross, and the PTSA has gotten involved to help," McKean said.
High-school students are also taking part in a district-wide art project, a sort of commemoration wall to the victims.
Such projects have also made their way into classrooms at Woodland Middle School, where youngsters are given opportunities to express themselves about the tragedy through art and writing.
"We got through it," McKean, the East Meadow High principal, said. "And we have been lucky that we were not terribly impacted by it like some other schools."
