First Avenue School Kindergarteners " Shell Out Their Hearts for Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts"

Mrs. Petrillo's Kindergarten class at First Avenue School learned about the devastation at the shore that Hurricane Sandy caused first hand with stories from her own mother. Petrillo's mom's house at the shore suffered extensive damage and with the many other stories her students heard they were compellled to action. The call to action came in the form of creative expression from Mrs. Petrillo and her little students. Why not incorporate art by painting and decorating seashells she found along the shore in Long Branch,NJ, a shore town that also was hit hard by Super Storm Sandy. These decorative ornaments would go to the fundraising efforts for Restore The Shore.

Their efforts paid off and many people are spending 5 dollars to go to " Restore The Shore". When they receive their painted shell, they are immediately amazed at their creative expression that also has a poem on the back of the shell.

Tonight on News 12 New Jersey Mrs. Petrillo's class will be featured on News !2 New Jersey @ 8pm & 9pm with anchor Della Crews and tomorrow on News 12 New Jersey with Janine Strafaci @ 2:55, 3:55 and 4:55.

The following is a letter from Mrs. Petrillo detailing their fundraising efforts:

Dear Teachers and Staff,

As some of you may already know, my parents, along with other staff members were hit hard by the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy.  This tragedy has hit home for many of us in the First Avenue School community.

I feel a deep sense of responsibility in helping as many people as possible who have had their lives altered from this horrific event.  This obligation I have to help otheis what motivated my class to create the Seashell Ornament Project.

My class will be painting and decorating shells that I personally found along the Long Branch beach this past summer.  On the back of each shell is a copy of a poem I found while rummaging through the debris left in my parent’s home in Bricktown.

These ornaments will be for sale starting the week of November 19th.  The cost of a shell is $5.  All proceeds collected will be donated to theRestore the Shore Fund.

Thank you for your help in making the world a little more brilliant by buying a SEASHELL ornament.                                 Toni Anne Petrillo and Kindergarten 129.

 A final note on their efforts during the week that they started their fundraising efforts they learned the word Altruistic. I must say on personal note not only did they learn the word, But They Defined It!

If you would like to give, you can contact Newarknews@hotmail.com.