Buffalo Grove Students Finish Year by Collecting School Supplies for Oklahoma Tornado Victims

     When the devastating tornado recently touched down in Oklahoma, schools were wiped off the map, students lost, and families devastated, having to start their lives from scratch.  Buffalo Grove High School social science teacher, Diane Baldwin, learned of relief efforts for the Oklahoma victims at church and wondered if her own school might offer assistance.  She proposed the idea of coordinating the end-of-the-year locker clean-up activity with a collection of school supplies for students and schools that lost everything.  Contacting area emergency agencies, she found that the Salvation Army Corps would take what Buffalo Grove had to offer and transport it to the stricken area. Corps Community Centers are the heart and soul of The Salvation Army, offering a wide spectrum of emergency services and material goods to those in need.

     Within a very short time, with the assistance of faculty colleagues, Kate Konkel and Nancy Conlin, a collection was underway and a number of classes retrieved barely used books, backpacks, pencil cases, and other supplies from a dumpster destination during locker clean-up. They packed the bounty into boxes, along with new items that they donated.  The effort was posted on the school's outdoor marquee, which also brought in some donations from the community.

     During their last hour of high school before their graduation on June 2, the following students assisted in the collecting / loading of school supplies, backpacks and more for the Oklahoma Tornado Relief Project: Johan Malin, Mary Zawlocki, Gabrielle Turcotte, Ivan Salazar, Raphael Arcos, Bailey North, Steven Pauley (junior), Charles Nowak, Daniel Melnikov, Olivia Buechner, Kenna Ko, Erica Gillmeister, Caitlin Kelley, and Peter Liambotis.

     Baldwin commented, "I'm so proud of these students, who, through their generosity and concern for others, stepped up for such a great cause."