Third-graders from South Huntington’s Maplewood Intermediate school proudly hold up a check to be sent to St. Jude’s Children's Hospital. Teacher Diane Cristine, left, Principal Vito D’Elia and teacher Christopher Cardella, on right, with their students.
Diane Cristine's third-grade class at Maplewood Intermediate school in South Huntington recently worked for more than a month on a project called a "Math-a-Thon."
The goal of the project was to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a specialty hospital for children who are fighting childhood cancers and other life-threatening diseases.
To begin the project, the students viewed a video in which some children at St. Jude’s talked about their experiences and about how the hospital was helping them to get better. After the video presentation, the students talked about what it must be like to be a patient at St. Jude’s, and they all pledged to help the children by participating in the “Math-a-Thon” program. They agreed to complete over 30 pages of extra math problems on their own time and raise money by getting their parents, relatives, and other people to sponsor them.
Along with Miss Cristine, another Maplewood teacher, Christopher Cardella, got three of his students involved, and they participated along with Miss Cristine's class. In total, the children raised $3,050 for the children at St. Jude.
At the end of the program, the students wrote letters of encouragement to the children at the hospital. Miss Cristine also created a big pretend "check," which the children held up in a photo that will be sent to St. Jude along with the children's letters and donations.
“The most amazing part of this program was watching my students get so involved in making a difference in these children's lives,” said Miss Cristine. “One of my students, Grace, actually donated her own $40--all the money she had in her piggy bank--along with the rest of the donations that she raised. It was very touching when her mother proudly told me that it was all the money that Grace had in the world and she insisted on giving it all to St. Jude. Grace said she felt that is was very important for her to be sure that she helped the kids at St. Jude to get better.”