Schools
JFK High School Students Raise Money for Woodbridge's Victims of Hurricane Sandy
Students at the high school in the Iselin section of Woodbridge have raised $1,600 so far, with more coming from an art auction - all for Woodbridge residents hurt by the storm.
While all the attention from Hurricane Sandy has mostly been focused on the devastated Jersey shore area, it's easy to forget that homes in Woodbridge, Sewaren, and Port Reading sections of the township were flooded and had their foundations destroyed by the Sandy storm surge.
Students at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School haven't forgotten people in town who have had this lives turned upside down by the storm's effects.
The school's Student Council raised $1,600 right after school reconvened when the electricity was turned back on, said JFK Vice Principal Sherry Wandras.
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"They were very concerned about all the displaced families in our community and they all wanted to help," Wandras said. "Our student council and other clubs collected money in the cafeteria and used it to help a family in Sewaren who had lost their home."
It wasn't enough, though, for the students at the Iselin high school. They pledged to do more to help.
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Two of the school's art teachers, Elizabeth Ebanko and Amy Stachurski, had assigned a project to their classes to paint their impressions of the hurricane.
It turned out so well they decided to auction off the approximately 20 paintings, done in watercolors and other mediums, Wandras said.
"They decided that they would paint pictures showing the devastation of the disaster and then auction off their projects," she said. The pictures have been placed in a showcase in the school, and bids are still being taken on the artwork.
More bids were taken Thursday night as JFK held its annual holiday concert, and parents and teachers walked past the display and added written bids to the box near the display.
That money, too, will go to help local families in Woodbridge hurt by the hurricane.
"Our students always want to help when there's a catastrophe," Wandras said. "They wanted to do something for the Sandy victims."
Bids are being taken before the end of school this semester, which is December 21. Anyone interested can list their name, phone number, and email address and place their bid at the school.
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