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One extra day did it. Now all Turn of River Middle School students will be counted when it comes to their contribution to Connecticut's tribute to veterans.
The school collected $579 a figure equal to the number of students at the school to help build the Connecticut State Veterans Memorial. Funds were collected daily by a group of students during lunchtime. The drive was supposed to have ended by Veterans Day. When the deadline came, the collection totaled $533. The figure was so close to the total number of students that it was decided to extend the fund-raiser by one more day to see if students could come up with another $46.
"We were trying to reach a goal," said Sharon Wade, TOR office support specialist and an adviser to the TOR Rachel's Challenge Club. "We wanted to reach $579, which would be $1 per student." With the added day, the goal was reached Friday.
Of that total amount, $217 was raised by social studies teacher Jason Pavia's seventh-grade students.
Those who collected lunchtime donations are members of RCC, which stresses acts of kindness. "One of the teachers, Jane Lambert, thought it would be a good idea for the school," said Wade about the memorial project.
The Connecticut State Veterans Memorial will be constructed in Rocky Hill. It will honor all Connecticut veterans who fought in all wars. Designed by landscape architects Dean Adams Johnson and Robert Schechinger, the memorial will consist of a central walkway leading to a wall of honor, and an amphitheater with speaker's platform, fountain and seating for events. The cost for construction, landscaping and related expenses is $1.5 million.
There still may be more coming from TOR. "The teachers are trying to collect another $80, [representing] $1 per teacher," said Wade, "which is awesome."
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