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Students respond to school's plight
A Centerville school and local retailers donate supplies to kids at Spring Valley.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Cline Elementary students (left to right) Chase Braccini, Shanthi Hiremath and Riley Fessler pick up boxes of school supplies that were collected by the students of Cline Elementary and will be given to students of Spring Valley Academy. A fire recently damaged Spring Valley Academy. Staff photo by Ron AlveyCENTERVILLE — Cline Kids Care. That's the motto of Cline Elementary School in Centerville.
On Friday, Sept. 12, the kids put their motto into action by bringing in a roomful of school supplies to replace those lost by students at Spring Valley Academy in an electrical fire Monday, Sept. 8.
Spring Valley Academy piano and music teacher Laura Grodrian's kids went to Cline Elementary School and Grodrian served as PTO president there, so she was familiar with the school and its caring kids. She called Cline principal Susan Duffy to ask if they had any school supplies they might share with her kids who lost theirs to the fire and smoke.
She said the Spring Valley students had brought a year's supply of items to keep at SVA, but "it's all contaminated with soot and the fire. It's all toxic. We're not even allowed to take a pencil out. Their folders for English, math, all their notebooks — it's all gone and unattainable at this point," she said, "but we're going to make it through."
The Cline school sent a flier home with students and in one day they collected a roomful of supplies, said Carol Parfenchuk, a teacher's aide at Cline.
"Each child had a box," she said. "Second-graders brought scissors, tissues and rulers. Third-graders brought big crayons, markers and hand sanitizers. Fourth-graders brought two-prong pocket folders and Scotch tape and fifth-graders brought glue sticks, spiral notebooks and two-pocket folders."
The school has 450 students in grades two through five, she said. They plan to collect for a week, with teachers also supplying text books and other teacher-needed items.
One parent works at Target and Target donated $120 worth of supplies that were on clearance, Duffy said. Another parent was at Kroger, where they had her fill out a form for a possible donation from them, she said.
"I'm in awe," said Grodrian, who arrived with SVA's vice principal Kari Scheebo, Friday to pick up the supplies. "It wouldn't all fit in one car, so I enlisted the vice principal. Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville also has given us a load of supplies from their clothing and supply pantry and they've offered space for rehearsals and plays and spiritual help."
"We've been very blessed. There's a whole team trying to pull us out of this. It is phenomenal. I also think it's so important for Cline kids to know that what they are doing will truly make a difference in people's lives."
"It's kids sharing with kids. This touches your heart. This is life education," Duffy said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2341 or kullmer@DaytonDailyNews.com.
