NEWS & EVENTS: SIA IN THE NEWS STORY DETAILS

Staten Island Borough President Commends Students

December 2003 - Staten Island Academy students believe in helping others. Recently the school's youngest students in Pre-K (age 4) through Grade 4 participated in a readathon to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The event raised $5,400.

On Friday, December 12, 2003, the Academy held a special assembly to present the check to a representative from the JDRF. Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro attended the assembly to commend the students for their community spirit. Joseph Dezio, the president of the Academy’s board of trustees and head of school Diane J. Hulse also were on hand to applaud the students’ efforts.

This is the first year the prominent independent school organized a readathon to benefit JDRF. In the past, the Academy participated in Walk for the Cure walkathons but decided to trade in their sneakers for books this year.

Linda Aubrey, the event coordinator and an Academy teacher said, "The readathon was a way for us to combine community service for a worthy cause, and promote reading at the same time. Sponsors signed "book" pledges, which were displayed around campus for all to see. It was an exciting and very worthwhile event."

An Academy student was a delegate the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) Children's Congress held in Washington, DC in June 2003. The Children's Congress has been held every other year since 1999. It is the largest media and grassroots event held in support of finding a cure for juvenile diabetes, raising national awareness about juvenile diabetes, and representing personal advocacy at the highest level of United States government. The actress Mary Tyler Moore is the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Committed to helping others
The JDRF Readathon event is only one of the ways Academy students reach out to help those in need.

According to Mrs. Hulse, head of school, “The Academy is deeply committed to giving to the community. All of our students participate in community service projects to help make the world a better place. We are very proud of their efforts.”

The Academy’s student service organization prepared a dozen baskets filled with complete Thanksgiving meals including turkeys, which were given to needy Staten Island families. Stylists from Avanti Salons visited the Todt Hill campus on December 8 to give haircuts to students, faculty and parents as part of a Locks of Love “hair-raising” event. Locks of Love uses donated hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair because of medical conditions or treatments. Younger students collected hundreds of teddy bears for the American Cancer Society who plans on giving them to children with cancer.

Academy student volunteers also collected holiday gifts as part of an annual Letters to Santa community event. This year generous Academy families helped make the holiday wishes of several hundred needy children become a reality.