Haiti days after a devastating earthquake caused several buildings in its capital Port Au Prince. Photo courtesey of Johann Zimmermann.
Although the earthquake in one of the world’s poorest countries, Haiti, occurred more than two months ago, classes at HHS are still collecting relief supplies to make into health care kits. Coordinated by Key Club Sponsor Maurizio Antonnicola, teachers in the building have been asking their classes to contribute to the kits.
“Key Club will be assembling the kits as soon as the supplies are collected,” Antonnicola said. “Then the kits will be shipped to Louisiana and then on to Haiti to be distributed.”
Math teacher Tricia Cummings has been collecting bars of soap, and offered extra credit to entice her students to bring in bars.
“I offered one point of extra credit for each bar of soap students brought in, but the maximum points they could earn was ten,” Cummings said. “Some of the kids don’t need the extra credit, but contributed to the cause anyway.”
“[Cummings] only gives extra credit through our game, ‘Search for Gold’, so this is a good chance to get some extra points,” senior Elisha Hill said. “In the game, most times you are limited to five points per prize.”
Cummings’ 62 students have accumulated between 100 and 150 bars of soap. Junior Carley Shears was the first student to bring in soap for the relief efforts in Cummings class.
“I wanted to help with the relief efforts and get some extra credit,” Shears said. “So I brought in two bars of soap.”
In the library, all fines collected during the week of February 15 were donated to the Haiti relief efforts. Overdue materials cost the students five cents for every day late.
“We donated $23.40 to the Haiti cause,” library secretary Bradley Walton said. “I would say students were probably just paying the fines, not donating to Haiti.”
Math teacher David Rush has been collecting laundry soap, but his methods of persuading students were different from Cummings.
“I didn’t offer extra credit or anything, I just asked the kids to help people,” Rush said. “We have about 50 soap bars at this point.”
Rush also offered for his students the option of bringing in money and then he went to the store and purchased soap bars in bulk. His third block, A-day class has been the most generous with donating so far.
One of Rush’s students, sophomore Taylor McDonnell said Rush, “made one class feel guilty for not bringing stuff in” to support the efforts. But the guilt worked, because students started bringing in supplies.
Art teachers Jauan Brooks and Kelley Shradley-Horst have not had as much success in getting students to donate. Although the teachers themselves have purchased toothbrushes, nail clippers and soap, students taking art have not been as interested in helping out.
“I think people are just tired,” Brooks said. “Plus, we haven’t had much school recently, so it’s been hard to get the kids interested.”
Brooks noted that with a new group of students this semester, she does not know many of the kids that well yet, but believes students will start contributing now that we are back in school.
“I brought in 12 bars because it’s all for a good cause and I really wanted the extra credit,” Hill said. “I didn’t get extra credit for two of the bars, because you could only earn up to ten points, but it will still help somebody.”
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