School supplies for new arrivals

Standing, from left, Sara Baig, social worker; Irma Sandoval, social worker; Maritza Acevedo, family liaison; and Nanci David, mental health clinician. Seated are Felicia Querrey, Matheny School teacher and Richard Kozlik, Matheny School student.

“We are very thankful to receive the generous donation of school supplies that we have distributed to our newcomer classes for students who have recently arrived in the U.S.” With those words Nanci David, mental health clinician at the Roosevelt Elementary School in New Brunswick, NJ, expressed her appreciation for the school supplies collected by Matheny School students for her school. Located in a low-income area with many students living below the poverty line, Roosevelt is a port-of-entry school for new immigrants, and its Youth Services System provides after-school recreation, tutoring and homework assistance.

The Matheny students collected the school supplies from Matheny employees, and the final tally included 52 packs of pencils, 75 glue sticks, 176 markers and 65 notebooks.

Investment in education

Table of school supplies collected by Matheny students.

Students at the Matheny School face special challenges, but that doesn’t stop them from finding the satisfaction that comes from helping others.

The Roosevelt Elementary School in New Brunswick, NJ, is located in a low-income area, with many of its students living below the poverty line. It is a port-of-entry school for new immigrants, and the school’s Youth Services System provides after-school recreation, tutoring and homework assistance.

With that in mind, Matheny School students mounted a campaign to collect school supplies from Matheny employees that would, in turn, be donated to Roosevelt’s YSS program. The drive was an unqualified success! Doing some math, with the help of manipulatives (objects such as blocks that are used to help students learn math concepts) and calculators, Matheny students determined that the supplies collected included 52 packs of pencils, 75 glue sticks, 176 markers and 65 notebooks.