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| Aiden Lewis with Head of High School Chris Cooke |
Middle School raises flood relief funds
Woodstock's Middle School students raised over Rs. 50,000 during a fundraiser in late September that benefited World Vision's Indian flood relief fund. Strong rains and torrential downpours in the subcontinent and nearby Pakistan displaced nearly 5 million people and killed over 300 in early August in a natural disaster of cinematic proportion.
In response, staff organizer and dorm parent Rebecca Grosso encouraged the students in her house to consider how they might, as a group, meet the needs of those who had endured the loss of their homes, belongings and sometimes even entire families. Through suggesting fundraisers, bake sales and car washes, Rebecca prompted the brainstorming. It became apparent which one of the ideas would resonate with students. "When I suggested bake sale, it stopped being my thing," she said of the event which involved each boarding student as a member of one of the five planning committees formed to pull things together. Students came together around the idea of selling baked goods and immediately went to work, taking ownership of the process.
Rebecca worked with fellow Middle School residence and academic staff to gain as much support and momentum for the project she could. Just as soon as emails starting collecting in the mailboxes of staff about volunteering opportunities to help the Middle School with its idea, Rebecca began to receive responses from both academic and support staff in nearly every department who were willing to offer their time in order to help students bake for the sale. "Baking was happening two weeks in advance," Rebecca recalled. "Twenty staff volunteered kitchens, ingredients and their time for the night before the sale."
Pastries, desserts, baked goods and other food items such as momos, pizza, Singaporean fried rice and sushi were donated to the cause and offered for sale by the Middle School outside Ridgewood residence hall. A live rock band and basketball tournament provided entertainment, and special guest newly-elected president of the board Thomas Chandy offered a public word of encouragement for the students' efforts.