Woodland student donates school supplies

Sending kids back to school means they usually need new clothes, supplies and other gear in time for the first day. 

This summer, eighth-grader Anusha Syed saw the need as well. 

In fact, it was right in front of her. Some of her friends struggled to afford some of the essentials for school. Anusha set out on a fundraising initiative throughout the summer. She came out with nearly $3,000 worth of supplies for the program at her school.

“Doing it for my own school made this special for me,” Anusha said. 

Anusha, joined her family and teachers, was recognized for her efforts by Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Gary Hudes during a ceremony on Sept. 15 in Woodland’s lobby. 

“Anusha is a wonderful girl,” Hudes said. “A spirit of charity runs deeply in the
family.”

“To have somebody at this age take on a project of this size really sets the bar high for all students in the community,” the councilman added. 

The collection of school supplies for students in need has become a tradition at Woodland. About two years ago, Woodland staff members took notice that some students had financial situations that made them unable to afford items on the extensive lists for school supplies. 

For two years now, the faculty and staff, led by School Librarian Leslie Rausch and Foreign Language Teacher Patricia Johnson, have collected donations for students identified by the school’s social workers and
counselors. 

According to Rausch and Johnson, whenever a child is in need of school supplies, there are no questions asked, except for one: whether the student is a boy or girl to ensure they get the appropriate designs for their supplies. 

Rausch recalled a student thanking the Woodland staff for the donation. The student told her “Now I can really start school because I have my supplies.”

“We believe that charity starts in the schools,” Rausch said. 

“Preparation is part of success,” Johnson added.