43
St. Nick second-graders learn valuable lessons from furry visitors
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
STRUTHERS
On Friday morning, Joanne Fossesco’s second- graders at St. Nicholas School in Struthers welcomed a handful of special visitors — many of them four-legged.
A kitten perched on the windowsill next to a globe.
A puppy snuggled in a boy’s arms as he sat at his desk.
And Diane Less, co-founder of Angels for Animals, stood at the front of the classroom, fielding questions from students and teachers alike about the proper care of pets.
The visit was a product of the students’ hard work, Less said, as well as a way to ensure that “the future citizens of this area will be animal-friendly.” Three puppies and two kittens “volunteered” for the trip, she said.
“These students all went out and got donations for the shelter pets,” Less said, adding that Angels for Animals has been concentrating as of late on increasing its outreach into local schools. “We thought we’d give them a reward.”
Throughout the week, Fossesco’s students collected clean blankets and towels for the organization, just in time for Friday’s service day for Lumen Christi Catholic Schools.
All second-graders in the network, which is a system made up of several area Catholic schools and learning centers, contributed to the effort, but Fossesco’s classroom alone managed to collect about 75 items.
They’ll continue to collect items throughout the remainder of the school year, too.
“Our science unit teaches that all living things need water, food, shelter, air and love,” Fossesco said. “Even the Gospel stories talk about taking care of God’s creatures, and, as second- graders, they all love animals.”
She added that her students were influenced by St. Francis of Assisi, who is known for his kindness to animals. Subsequently, St. Francis’ feast day, which fell on Friday this year, was chosen as an appropriate date for the service day.
Natalie Divencenzo, a 7-year-old student in Fossesco’s class, said she enjoyed collecting items for Angels for Animals, especially since she knew her efforts would help local shelter pets.
She added that her mom found most of the blankets in her closet, and that she wasn’t too upset to part with them, since they’d go to a good cause.
“I thought it would be nice,” Natalie said. “They wouldn’t have to lay on the cold, hard cement, and they would have something to lay on during the cold winter.”
All students within Lumen Christi Catholic Schools participated in Friday’s service day, which was the first for the network of schools, said Elizabeth McCullough, principal of St. Nicholas School.
She added that third- and fith-graders also collected supplies for Angels for Animals.
In addition, kindergarteners elected to recite the rosary; first-graders chose to decorate tissue boxes and donate their projects to area nursing homes; fourth-graders decorated cookies for the Dorothy Day House; sixth-graders wrote letters to members of the military; seventh-graders gathered supplies for Akron Children’s Hospital; and eighth-graders hosted a baby shower, then donated the “gifts” to Catholic Charities.
Lumen Christi Catholic Schools consists of St. Patrick School, St. Nicholas, St. Joseph and Immaculate Heart of Mary School, St. Christine School, St. Charles School and Holy Family School, as well as the Early Childhood Learning Center at St. Luke School, Holy Family and St. Christine.