Gabrielle Apisa '27
From Monday, January 13th, to Friday, January 17th, the Scholars Society hosted an in-school supply collection to support the William O’Connor Bay Ridge School, a local special education program for children between the ages of 3 and 5.
As part of the overarching mission of the Scholars Society, students worked to raise funds and collect general supply items for the sake of academic enrichment. With such widespread contribution, general supplies and specialized items totaling over $1,150.00 were donated to the William O’Connor Bay Ridge School on Monday, January 27th.
Throughout the week of the 13th, students contributed general supply items like tissues, markers, and crayons, all of which are extremely valuable in the WOC Bay Ridge School’s pre-kindergarten integrated classrooms. Construction paper, paper towels, paintbrushes, and glue sticks are just some of the donated commodities that will maximize creativity and enhance general academia in these spaces.
This week-long collection closed off with a paid dress-down on Friday, January 17th. As students got a day to wear their favorite color (as per the dress-down theme), they also found an opportunity to fund a charitable cause.
All collected proceeds from this dress-down funded specialized items catered towards children with special needs. Items like sensory toys, visual timers, and sound books just to name a few.
Ultimately, with almost 100% contribution from students of the Scholars Society, along with various external contributions, this supply collection was a huge success! In addition to dozens of general supply items, over 50 specialized items were donated to the William O’Connor Bay Ridge School.
In leading this event, the Scholars Society played a role in advancing the mission of the ADAPT Community Network, a city-wide non-profit foundation that the William O’Connor Bay Ridge School belongs to. As part of the ADAPT Community Network, the WOC Bay Ridge School strives to provide comprehensive educational services to special needs children through their PreK for All program. Likewise, their family-support services make for a congenial and highly-engaging environment.
Overall, with this project - and many more to come - the Scholars Society is working to promote a warmhearted and equally productive trend in Fontbonne Hall Academy’s charity drives.
This supply collection could begin to bridge our school community with those of so many critical special needs organizations.
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