It Takes a Village

The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child but sometimes it takes the children to raise the village. Listed below is a small sampling of the charitable activities that our students and staff were involved in during the 2010 holiday season. In addition to the listed activities members of the greater Marcellus School’s educational community donate their money, time, and talents on a daily basis to assist families in need throughout the community.

Students in Anita Pawlewicz’ and Jenny Comstock’s co-teach 6th grade classroom made packages to send to our troops in Afghanistan. The students created original holiday ornaments and decorated mini-trees for our military heroes.
Kindergarten and Pre-1st classes at K. C. Heffernan (KCH) Elementary School held a food and personal hygiene item drive for the Marcellus Durgee Food Pantry. Teachers Jodi Wiley, Katy Kelly, Kim Sparks, Brenda Buso, Denise Moniz, and Mary Ellen Koloski connected the charitable activity to classroom math and social studies curriculum.
*The KCH Site-based Team held a winter coat drive for families in need during the holiday season.
*The Jan Smith Fund at KCH, coordinated by Jo Marie Mariani, Becky Eaton, Bethany Woods, and Gary Bissaillon once again provided “Christmas” to KCH families in need. This year, holiday gifts were provided for more than 60 students. KCH faculty/retirees came together on December 15th to wrap and package the gifts for the children.
*Students in Suzanne Alexander’s and Jeanine Snyder’s co-teach 4th grade classroom created center pieces for the Rescue Mission’s holiday dinner. The students also collected money for the Marcellus Durgee Food Pantry. Additionally, on November 17th, the class held their 2nd annual Thanksgiving Feast for senior citizens from the Marcellus community. Alexander and Snyder worked with the class to plan, prepare, cook, and serve the feast.
*The Marcellus Girls’ Basketball Program hosted a Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament on December 28th and 29th. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the American Cancer Society and the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. Tournament activities included a 50-50 raffle as well as a raffle for a basketball signed by the 2010-2011 Syracuse University Basketball Team.
*Students in Jill Zoccolillo’s and Katie Sheehan’s co-teach 5th grade classroom held a blanket making day on December 21st to benefit Project Linus. Project Linus is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans.
*Students from the Driver Middle School Science Olympiad Team, along with faculty advisors Hannah Naczi and Jessica Hehl, volunteered at the Samaritan Center on November 4th and December 2nd.
*The Mustang Pride organization at Driver Middle School, under the guidance of Kathy Rein and Diane McArdell, participated in the Macy’s Million Reasons to Believe initiative during the holiday season. Macy’s donated $1 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation for every letter written to Santa and delivered to Macy’s before Christmas. The Mustang Pride students set up a mailbox and Make-a-Wish display outside the DMS Aitchison Auditorium. The group provided stationery to any teachers making the letter writing a class activity. Students in grades 7 and 8 were encouraged to make their letters about what they hoped to accomplish for their community in the next year. Letters written by KCH and DMs students were deposited in the DMS mailbox and then forwarded to the Reason to Believe program. 350 letters were written which translates to $350 donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
*The Driver Middle School student council, under the guidance of faculty advisor Shannon Femano, provided “Christmas” for DMS families in need. The students shopped for gifts in early December and then wrapped presents the week of December 6th.
*Sixth grade art students at Driver Middle School, under the direction of DMS art teachers Cher Ferrara and Shannon Femano, designed and created butterfly note cards. The cards were sold at the Hope for the Bereaved annual fundraising dinner, with all monies raised going to the Hope for the Bereaved organization.
*3rd grade students from KCH performed and sang holiday favorites for senior citizens at the Marcellus Senior Citizen Peace luncheon held on December 16th at the Marcellus Methodist Church. The group sang carols throughout the village as they walked to the luncheon.
Students in Katrina Ercole’s and Joanne Loudermilk’s 5th grade class at DMS donated money to shop for food for the Marcellus Durgee Food Pantry. Once the monies were collected the students discussed what types of food can be donated to the food pantry and created shopping lists to reflect pantry and family needs. The class shopped for groceries at Nojaims in Marcellus and stopped at the pantry to stock shelves with the items purchased.
*Students in Sandy Carey’s 5th grade class at DMS adopted a family in need for the holiday season and purchased and wrapped gifts for the family.
*Students in Fran Hagan’s art classes at KCH decorated “cheer bags” for the Martisco Lions Club. The “cheer bags” were filled with essentials and then distributed to elderly persons in need within the community.
*The Marcellus Senior High School Girls’ Empowerment Group participated in the Jan Smith Fund wrapping day at KCH on December 15th.
*KCH, DMS, and Marcellus Senior High School all held food drives during the holiday season for the Salvation Army and the Marcellus Durgee Food Pantry.
*Students in Robin Brown’s French classes at DMS prepared and sold crepes at the DMS Holiday Happening on December 5th. Monies raised through the activity were donated to a charity selected by the students. The students collected $65 and donated the money to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
*The Character Education Committee at Marcellus Senior High School conducted a toy drive to benefit Kindergarten students at McKinley-Brighton School in the Syracuse City School District. Students for the group delivered the gifts to more than 100 Kindergarten children at McKinley-Brighton on December 21st. Each child also received a book.
*Students in Colleen Mahoney’s English classes at Driver Middle School have been writing letters to military personnel throughout the holiday season.
$285.45 was raised for the Jan Smith Fund through the 2nd grade penny collection. Jen Sega's class took the honor for the most pennies collected.
*Senior High School students have volunteered at the Samaritan Center every Thursday throughout the school year. This year long demonstration of service learning and community caring has continued throughout the holiday season.
*1st grade classes at KCH collected hats, scarves, and mittens throughout the holiday season to give to families in need.