Schuylerville students and staff reach out to the local and global community
Throughout the school year, Schuylerville students get much more than the daily New York State-required curriculum lessons. Their teachers also try to incorporate lessons on the value and importance of citizenship and good stewardship. Many of Schuylerville’s students put these lessons to good use through the various charity projects and volunteer work that they participate in. Here are just a few examples of how Schuylerville students and staff give back to the community that supports them all year long.

• More than 35 Schuylerville students and staff members volunteered their time for Rebuilding Together Saratoga County. The organization rehabilitates homes for low-income and elderly residents in our community.
   
• This year’s first-grade classes collected nearly 100 winter coats for the Coats for Kids drive, which is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing needy children with winter coats.
   
• Student Council members sponsored an American Red Cross blood drive at the Jr.-Sr. High School. Most of the 51 donations were from students.
   
• Members of the National Honor Society participated in the Salvation Army bell-ringing service, where they collected more than $400.
   
• Elementary School staff members performed in a variety show to raise funds for a kindergartner who is courageously battling cancer. Student Council members also raised money for this student by selling yellow ribbons during lunch periods.
   
• In honor of a fellow student, Ms. Sorbero’s kindergarten class collected $260 for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
   
• A local-level Cinderella’s Closet continues to help some Schuylerville teens attend the prom in style.
   
• Sixth graders from Mrs. Clarke’s class collected donations for UNICEF. The service project included conducting research on UNICEF, designing appeal posters and informing fellow students how just one day’s worth of snack money could help children across the world.
   
• Field Hockey players volunteered their time to help run an intramurals program for Schuylerville third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders.
   
• Mrs. Clements’ fifth grade class writes supportive letters to U.S. soldiers serving in Baghdad.
   
• Students from the district’s WAVE (Working Against Violence Everywhere) volunteered at WMHT Public TV during the station’s fund drive. The WAVE students also participated in the Crop Walk (which raises funds to alleviate hunger) and joined with members of the National Honor Society to volunteer during a Family Fun Day in the district.
   
• In lieu of giving their teachers holiday gifts, the second grade classes collected $340 for the Adopt-An-Angel project, which benefits underprivileged children.
   
• Senior Hannah Chorman, juniors Kyle Fassett and Jeremy Vasquez and sophomore Rikki Risatti created and donated original artwork to be auctioned off at a fundraiser for the Lake George Arts Project, a non-profit organization that promotes the arts in our area. The proceeds from the auction support summer concerts, jazz festivals, art exhibitions, as well as creative writing, dance and art workshops.
   
• The Spanish Club held its annual food drive to benefit St. Theresa’s Food Pantry—and this year’s drive was a record breaker! Students collected more than 35 large boxes of nonperishable goods—five more boxes than the previous year. The donated items were used to put together Easter dinner baskets for needy families throughout Saratoga County.
   
• Fourth graders in Mrs. Nevin’s class are currently collecting pull tabs from soda cans that are recycled for cash. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children, which is a network of 22 pediatric hospitals that provide specialized care for orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. All services are provided at no charge.
   
• The Dollars for Scholars committee held its annual penny drive to raise money for future scholarships for Schuylerville students. Each grade’s collection is put in an interest-earning CD that will be presented as scholarships at their high school graduation. The Elementary School students raised a total of $4,166.09…and volunteers from the community rolled every one of those pennies!
   
• The Jr.-Sr. High FCCLA members handcrafted Christmas angels for The World’s Window, which is a small nonprofit organization that is focused on helping people in need and bringing joy to their lives. The handmade angels (along with other items) were given to women in the village of Chikandakubi in Zimbabwe, Africa during their Christmas celebration. For most, this was the only gift they received.
   
• A group of Jr.-Sr. High School students is raising funds to help alleviate the atrocities occurring in Darfur.
   
• Members of the Jr. High Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) raised funds to help out the Ronald McDonald House at Albany Medical Center. The money was used to replenish supplies in the hospitality room. The Sr. High FBLA students volunteered their time to do spring cleaning at Ronald McDonald House, along with making a $300 donation.

Staff is committed to service projects, too
Schuylerville staff members are as committed to helping out in the community as they are to coordinating volunteer efforts with students in the schools. Here’s a brief sampling of the projects in which they’ve been involved:

• Volunteering for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when the television show built a home for a needy family in Colonie.
   
• Participating the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Funds from this event go directly to research to find the causes of premature birth and how it can be prevented, to support families whose babies must spend time in neonatal intensive care units and to provide women with the latest information on having a healthy pregnancy.
   
• Volunteering as a winter sports instructor at Double H Ranch. The Ranch offers children with chronic and/or life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to participate in various winter sports in the Adirondack Mountains.
   
• Serving as a Pioneer Girls’ Leader and coordinating community service events with participating young girls.
   
• Running and walking in the GHI Corporate Challenge. This year’s event benefits the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society, a point of entry human services agency that helps the poor, the homeless and others in need lead independent, self-sufficient and safe lives in the community.
   
• Serving on the Greenwich Fire Department Auxilary.
   
• Volunteering as a team captain and committee member for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.