Community Service a Year Round Focus at Sarah Starkweather Elementary School

The Principal at the Sarah Starkweather Elementary School, Nancy Aronson, is quite proud that her students helped close out the school year with a significant community contribution - just one of many in a long list of charitable work for which they’ve been responsible over the past twelve months.

The Chester County Hospital Pediatric Unit was the beneficiary of Starkweather’s generosity this time. At the end of June the school’s students, in part using $100 that had been raised through sales at the school store, were able to donate 108 books, 40 of which were brand new, and 84 videos of entertainment and educational value for children, to the Pediatric Unit. It is unfortunate that many kids end up at the Chester County Hospital’s premier unit to treat children during the course of a year, but we are all so very fortunate to have a first-class medical operation right in our own community to serve those youngster’s urgent healthcare needs. The students at Startweather were guided by a PTO member, Karen Young, who also happens to be a nurse at the Hospital and, so, was well aware of a variety of needs in the Pediatric Unit. Karen also works on PTO budgets. Also deserving considerable thanks is Rita McGuane, who chaired the PTO committee that helped with so much good community work during the school year, along with Melody Lane and the other PTO members who give their time so generously.

	The presentation to West Chester's Fame Fire Department was made by Principal Nancy Aronson, and students (left to right): Grade 1-Georgia Shewman, Grade 2-Tina St.Clair, Grade 3-George Ladner, Grade 4-Brian Thompson, Grade 5-Matt Burritt.

It is clear that the students of Starkweather have a fantastic PTO behind them all the way, as evidenced by yet another charitable effort represented by the recent contribution of $300 provided to West Chester’s Fame Fire Department. The PTO Community Service Committee came up with the donation, and a fire truck stopped by to receive the generous gift as seen in the accompanying photo at the right.

The Community Service Committee and the students at Starkweather Elementary participated in a wide range of charitable activities. Here is just a sample of some of their work: Collecting aluminum can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; School kit collections for refugee children; Pennies for Diabetes; Canned food collections and donated turkeys to local shelters at Thanksgiving, gained from grocery receipts; Read-A-Thon for Multiple Sclerosis; Kids Walk for a Cure and Alex’s Lemonade Stand; The book swap.

In addition to helping so many people in so many ways, these activities are important to the development of our student’s attitudes towards responsibility and charitable works, by regularly reinforcing the value of getting involved in helpful projects that are bigger than any one person. Congratulations to Sarah Starkweather Elementary School for establishing such a fine example of community spirit and on-going involvement.

For more info contact: Rob Partridge / Communications Program Director – rpartridge@wcasd.net

 

 

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