March School of the Month

The School of the Month for March is Orange Avenue School of Cranford, New Jersey!

Orange Avenue has raised more than $1,400, almost 3 times their goal of $500! The students generated hundreds of dollars by collecting loose change. They also motivated their fellow students by inviting Darfuri speaker Daowd Salih to a school assembly to put a human face on the suffering in Darfur.

In January Orange Avenue organized a community-wide awareness event that drew a crowd of over 500 people. They covered the front of the school with about 600 luminarias, played a self-produced compilation of music, and projected images from Darfur on a 15-foot screen.

Superintendent Dr. Lawrence Feinsod and Mayor Robert Puhak spoke at the event, and the mayor declared January 15, 2008 “Bring Darfur Out of the Darkness” Day in Cranford. State Senator Thomas Kean also presented the school with a resolution commending their efforts to stop genocide.

The 6th grade class is now working on a bake sale, and middle school students are conducting workshops on tolerance and diversity in elementary school classrooms.

Orange Avenue School’s members include:

• Patricia Pavlak (advisor)
• Denise Addona
• Kathy Clay
• Ann McGovern
• Dan Reppert
• Jamie Warner
• and all the students at Orange Avenue School!