School Briefs – May 13, 2011

Camden Catholic student collects funds for victims

CHERRY HILL — Lismarie Vega, a sophomore at Camden Catholic High School, concluded her second year of leading the school’s Denim Day fundraiser on May 2.

Denim Day uses butterflies made of denim to promote awareness of rape and sexual assault.

Vega sold butterfly candy bags, which she made, for $2 and permission for students to dress down for $5 on May 2. The efforts raised $1,555 for the Center for Family Services.

Paul VI raises awareness, money to combat poverty

HADDON TOWNSHIP – Members of the Paul VI High School community collected donations, held a fast and celebrated a Mass as their ways of participating in the national Operation Rice Bowl effort this Lent. Each Lent, Paul VI joins other United States Catholic communities in Operation Rice Bowl, an effort of Catholic Relief Services that includes donating, praying, fasting and learning about poverty in the world.

Students collected donations on Fridays in religion classes. This year, the Religious Studies Department had a competition among classes to see who could collect the most money. Some students discussed the program with their families and brought in contributions of $20 and $50 weekly. The result was this year’s collection totaled more than that of any previous Operation Rice Bowl at Paul VI — $5,250.

Students participated in a food fast, which began on the afternoon of March 25 and ended with Holy Communion received at a Mass at Paul VI on the afternoon of March 27.

They gathered for a Holy Week Mass on April 19, attended by representatives from Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services, Jennifer Dyer and Dennis Fischer. The representatives received a check for the amount collected during Operation Rice Bowl at the school and spoke of the positive effect the contribution will have in fighting poverty and supporting the global poor.

Assumption gathers pile of pennies to fight autism

Paul Thomas, a sixth-grade student council representative at Assumption School in Atco, helps count pennies collected for autism awareness and research.

ATCO — In honor of National Autism Awareness Month in April, the student council at Assumption School led its second annual Pennies for Autism service project by having a Penny War.

A plastic bottle was set outside of each classroom and students tried to put as many pennies in their class jar as possible. The classes also put other denominations of money, including quarters and dollar bills, in their opponents’ bottles to reduce the number of pennies that could fit in those bottles.

At the end, the class with the most pennies, minus the amount of the other currency, was the winner. The second grade had the most pennies. The first grade raised the most money. In total, the school raised $135 to combat autism.