West Windsor-Plainsboro students received three young humanitarian awards at the annual Kidfest presented by Kidsbridge Children’s Museum. Grover Middle School students Ethan Julius and Salman Akhtar received individual awards, and students at Hawk Elementary School received a group award.
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The celebration was held at the College of New Jersey on May 31. The awards were presented to individuals and student groups who committed acts of kindness, bravery, or extraordinary community service.
“These kids inspire others,” says Lynne Azarchi, Kidsbridge executive director and a West Windsor resident. “If you think one person can’t make a difference, look at these kids. They have made a difference. I like to tell people to be a yaysayer and get out there and help other people.”
Julius, a sixth grade student, was nominated by his teacher, Rose Stevens. She discovered his volunteerism at HomeFront while reading his sixth graders “reflections” journal. Once a week Ethan teaches chess to the homeless children there which gives him a greater appreciation of his own life.
“Ethan is a very hardworking and enthusiastic student,” wrote Stevens in her nomination. “His achievements are always at the top of the class. Along with his studies, Ethan also gives his time to others in a quiet, subtle way. He not only mentioned the things he does at the shelter, but also how much he enjoys it there.”
“While I enjoy having Ethan in class, I’m most impressed by his mature insights and feelings for others,” Stevens wrote. “Finding this touching entry in his writer’s notebook comes as no surprise.”
Akhtar, an eighth grade student, was nominated by his guidance counselor, Linda D’Orlando. An active member of the AMIGOS club, he organized a blanket and coat drive in school, which netted several cartons of goods that were shipped, through a local organization, to Pakistan. Next, he collected change at all lunch periods to buy tents to shelter the orphans on the mountains during the approaching winter. He did this entirely on his own, with little adult involvement. (The News, November 4, 2005.)
“Caring, committed, and passionate about helping others, Salman is a quiet, humble eighth-grader trying to make a difference,” D’Orlando wrote in nominating him for an award. “He’s an example to others, adults as well as children, not looking for personal gain or glory. He just wants to help those in need. I’m truly proud to know him.”
A number of Hawk School families and staff had close relationships with Hurricane Katrina survivors and formed “Hawk Helpers for Katrina’s Kids” to raise money for the American Red Cross and other organizations. “These projects have helped youngsters at both schools feel helpful and powerful in a time of crisis,” wrote nominators, Hawk guidance counselor Eileen O’Mahony and teacher Cathy Griffin.
Through doing chores at home the students raised $3,”000. When matched by Commerce Bank, $6,”000 was donated from the school to the Red Cross.
Students donated 150 books for New Orleans children who had lost their homes, toys, and books, and were attending La Salle Elementary School in Baton Rouge. Through a program called Scholastic Classrooms Care, the company donated books to affected Gulf Coast schools each time a class reads 100 books. The Hawk community collected and sent three huge boxes of donated clothing and toys to displaced children.
Hawk participated in Lego’s program to donate a brick to a Gulf Coast school for every Lego brick the children donate. The first grade classrooms ran a bake sale to benefit the Ruby Bridges Foundation to repair and reopen the Franz School in New Orleans. The pen pal program has 15 classrooms writing to LaSalle students displaced from New Orleans. Some classes have made internet connections and E-mailed photographs to each other.
Kidsbridge Children’s Museum features “Face to Face: Dealing with Prejudice and Discrimination,” an exhibit about tolerance. Located at the College of New Jersey, reservations are taken for group tours including summer day camps. Call 609-581-0239. For information visit www.kidsbridgemuseum.org
