In the spirit of giving
Monticello high school students reach out to the community at holiday time

Story and photos by Richard Ross, Courtesy The River Reporter

November 2007

MONTICELLO, NY — “Tis the season to be jolly,” goes the refrain of the Christmas Carol “Deck the Halls.” But when resources are scant for food or gifts, the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas can serve as bleak reminders of lack, not plenty.

But for 100 families in the Monticello Community, Thanksgiving was indeed a day to give special thanks for the generosity and compassion of Monticello High School Students who raised $4,432 dollars this year to purchase turkeys and all of the fixings for a feast which those families might not have been able to afford.

This was the 21st year that Student Council adviser Beth Lauri and a student fundraising committee organized the food drive. For the past 20 years, the event has been coordinated with The United Way under the auspices of outgoing Chief Operating Officer Linda Cellini who is now devoting her energy to the newly formed YMCA which will serve the community in its own unique fashion.

This year the Monticello Thanksgiving committee was comprised of 88 students led by chairpersons Maria Pavese, Lily Carbonara, Jillian Scheinfeld and Katie Green. They joined Student Council President Taylor Fasce, Lauri, High School Principal Arlene Siegel and United Way representative Julian Dawson to thank the student body for their generosity. Winners were announced proclaiming this year’s greatest contributing classes at assemblies held on November 21. Those classes which raised the most money were Lauri’s mixed chorus class and Katie Manz’s health class. Siegel asked the student body to think about the value of extending kindness to others in the community as a step towards making the world a better place.

The money was raised in first period classes to purchase the food. Kessler Brothers of Fallsburg donated 200 loaves of bread to the cause. Each family received a turkey, peas, corn, yams, green beans, potatoes, cranberry sauce, suffing, gravy, a pumkin pie, bread and juice Members of last year’s committee including grads Jesse Campanaro, Jaclyn Bunce, Danielle D’Abbraccio, Katie Rubin and Kristen VanHage delivered the dinners to the families Beginning December 3, the same earnest desire to help those less fortunate than themselves, will propel a group of Monticello High School elves and a yet-to-be- chosen Santa to bestow toys on a group of more than 150 starry-eyed three- and four year-olds at Sullivan County Head Start.

The annual event, which reinforces a positive bond between the school and the community at large, dates back more than 40 years to a time when the high school was still located in the old building on St. John’s Street. The desire to be part of this great tradition is what motivates many students at the high school to apply write a required 300-word essay stating their reasons for wanting to participate. This year’s group was chosen from a large number of applicants, with priority going to seniors who wish to participate in the storied fundraiser before they graduate.

Both the Thanksgiving and Christmas fundraisers serve to strengthen the link between the school and community while engaging the students in a meaningful way to give something back. Through their efforts those who are the recipients of such generosity can take a personal meaning in the words of the carol, “Tis the season to be jolly.”

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