Newtown Middle School Student Council Helps School In New Orleans

By Laurie Borst

Newtown Middle School’s Student Council has been working hard all year raising funds to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The 2006-07 Student Council members include seventh graders Jill Jagoe, secretary, and Alex Grant, vice president; and eighth graders Matt Iassogna, treasurer, and Stephanie Suhoza, president. Eighth graders Tony Vacaro, Jordan Mathurin, and Tyler Davenport volunteered to help throughout the year.

The Student Council held a dance last fall after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. The middle school cafeteria was decorated in a Mardi Gras theme. Approximately 350 students attended the dance, which made about $700. The council added funds from its account and donated $1,000 to the American Red Cross specifically designated for Gulf relief efforts.

Over the winter, the council decided to continue its efforts to help the New Orleans area. The students wanted to help other kids, so they searched the Louisiana Department of Education’s website looking for a middle school. Many of the schools in that area were not operational. They finally found Sophie B. Wright Middle School in New Orleans. Wright School had been a sixth through eighth grade school, but now serves fourth through eighth graders.

The NMS students began collecting school supplies, used textbooks, and gently used books for the library. Collection began in April and continued into May. Over the past couple of weeks, the supplies were packed in boxes and labeled for shipment. Fifty-nine boxes of books and supplies have been prepared to ship.

The Student Council expressed thanks to Kevin Anzellotti, head custodian at NMS, who has volunteered to help the council’s advisor, eighth grade teacher Linda Dale Mulholland, transport all the boxes to the post office. The Student Council will use its remaining funds to ship the supplies, estimated to cost $500 to $600.