Holley Elementary School had raised $201 as of last week to go to the Red Cross and its efforts to assist the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
“We are doing a money drive here,” Principal Mike Aman said. Students have been bringing in change since the attack. “It’s slowing down now, but the first week, we had $100 in the first three days.”
The drive will end on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
The school put cans in each classroom and the office, decorating them with images of the U.S. flag and the words, “Proud to be American.”
On the day President Bush asked for a moment of silence, Sept. 14, Holley School held a flag ceremony.
Former Sweet Home High School band teacher Ken Collins played the “Star-Spangled Banner” on his trumpet.
“It was really neat because as cars went by they’d honk and wave while we were doing this,” Aman said. It was a good chance for the kids to show their support.
Overall, the students have not reacted much to the attacks, Aman said. “It’s something they know happened. The day of the tragedy there was on child in tears because she had relatives in New York.”
The staff decided to begin the money drive, and the PTC collected and decorated cans.
Crawfordsville is doing a penny drive, Aman, who is principal there as well, said. He was unsure how much had been collected there, but donation cans were spread throughout the school.
Every day the week of the attack, Crawfordsville held a flag ceremony and a moment of silence. This was organized by staff.
“I think from an educator’s point of view, it’s just neat to see the nationalism, the support for the country come up,” Aman said. When he says that, he thinks of recent legislation that requires schools to provide the opportunity for each student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week.
When that legislation was passed, “I thought it’s too bad our country has to require that,” that the chance to recite the Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t automatically available prior to that, Aman said.
At Foster School, teachers did some conferencing in their classrooms with their students, Principal Vic Zgorzelski said. Overall, student reaction to the event has been low. The school has put up displays around the school and in classrooms “to show our support and how proud we are to be Americans.”
Hawthorne and Oak Heights schools also have held money drives to help victims in the attacks.