Boston Public School students answer the call for help

With the support of BPS staff, Boston Public School students are aiding Japan through various fundraisers. Below are some of the activities that have taken place and will take place in the future. BPS applauds the schools’ efforts and support.

• The Ohrenberger and Beethoven schools in West Roxbury held a “uniform free day” on Wednesday, March 16. Students were allowed to wear street clothes, rather than uniforms, once they made a donation to the American Red Cross. Last year, these two schools raised more than $5,000 for relief efforts in Haiti.
• Students at the Eliot K-8 School in the North End are collecting spare change through April 1, and will send donations to the Red Cross.
• Students at Snowden International School in the Back Bay are designing t-shirts and ribbons, with proceeds from the sale to go to the Red Cross.
• Timothy Nagaoka, a BPS foreign language teacher currently teaching Japanese, worked with students to make a thousand paper cranes at Bradley Elementary School, Taylor Elementary School, Dearborn Middle School, and Timilty Middle School. The Japanese Consulate in Boston also worked with students to dedicate the paper cranes to earthquake and tsunami victims.
• The Lee Academy Pilot School in Dorchester will host a representative from the Japanese Consulate for a “Japanese Awareness Day” on March 25.
• At Greater Egleston, staff made announcements regarding the status of Japan. The school also plans to raise money.
• The Hennigan School raffled four class parties. Students were able to buy raffle tickets to win: a pool party, a movie party, an ice cream party, and a pizza party
• On Friday March 18, 2011 Curtis Guild Elementary hosted “hats for Japan.” Students and Teachers wore silly hats and brought in donations to support students in Japan.
• The Quincy Elementary sold fruit smoothies during lunch. The fundraiser was a direct school-to-school effort, with money going directly to the Sendai school district.
• The Red Cross Club at Boston Latin Academy will be teaming up with local community agencies to support the victims of Japan.
• The Sarah Greenwood has planned four spirit days to raise money for Japan. There will be one spirit day per week for the next four weeks. To participate and be excused from uniform, students will pay $1 per day. The school has also planned a hat day, pajama day, wacky day, and favorite sport team day. The school hopes to raise at least $1000 for Japan, which will be sent to the Red Cross.
• The "La Fe Club" at Kennedy Academy is carrying out a "Spare a Dollar Campaign" for two weeks to help the victims in Japan. The fundraiser will be from March 21 - March 31. The "La Fe Club" is a group of high school students committed to educate their peers about social issues affecting teenagers. The group is also committed to help people in need. The funds collected will be donated to the Red Cross.