MANVILLE: Donations provide AC for school

Weston PTA, teachers raise funds for units

By Mary Ellen Zangara, Special Writer
   Weston School students will be a lot cooler in the upcoming hot months as each classroom will now be equipped with an air conditioning unit thanks to teachers, parents and community support. Some of the classrooms already have the units in place.
   Teachers Laura Landau, Carl Ruffer and Jennifer Deitrich along with Weston PTA helped with the project.
   Ms. Landau said that the “Weston School teachers with the support of the Weston Parent Teacher Association took the initiative to fundraise this year for air conditioning units to be placed in each classroom in Weston. This is to help students in hot weather to stay focused on learning and support students who have heat-elated health conditions that would otherwise cause them to stay home.”
   ”Growing up in this town I know firsthand how helpful our residents can be,” Mr. Ruffer said. “I am very grateful for all the donations from our town and neighboring towns. It shows how important education is to them. In this 21st century world we live in, it is vital to have a 21st century classroom. It is very difficult to learn and comprehend on hot days. Now we will be able to control the temperature in our classrooms giving the students the best learning environment possible.”
   Weston PTA President Jeanne Lombardino said that the PTA raised $8,000 to provide each classroom with an air conditioning unit.
   ”We have used many different avenues to put the air conditioning in. We started fundraising per the superintendent in October and the first event was the walk-a-thon,” she said.
   According to Ms. Landau the money needed for the air conditioners was raised over a few months with various events.
   ”The fundraising took place through multiple mini-fundraisers, such as a charity walk, selling pretzels, a book fair at Barnes & Noble, a movie night with boardwalk, and letters to community members for donations. It was through the support of Weston School teachers, PTA, parents and community members and business, that Weston has raised enough money to purchase the air conditioning units and we would like to thank everyone that participated in our success,” Ms. Landau said.
   Mr. Ruffer wrote letters to businesses and organizations to see if they would help in the fundraising effort.
   Those organizations and businesses that contributed to help raise the funds for the air conditioners include: Bound Brook Moose -$1,000; VFW Post 2290 -$1,000; Somerville Elks – $100; Stop & Go – $55; Pizza and Pasta -$50; Rhythms -$50; LJ’s Boardwalk -$25; Manville Pizza -$25; JJA Lawn Landscaping – $20; and ARC Construction Inc. $20, totaling $2,345 in donations.
   Principal Don Frank praised the staff for its participation in this project.
   ”The challenge was put out there and the teachers of Weston School as they always do with a challenge responded in force and in an effective manner. They ran several fundraisers — a penny drive as well as evening events that they have had to come out in their own time — and each classroom will have an air conditioner,” he said. “We are the first of four schools to accomplish that and we are looking forward to the installation and being able to tolerate the late-May, early June weather. The children will be more comfortable and be able to pay more attention to learning than sweating and beating the heat.”
   Right now four classrooms have the air conditioners and by the end of the school six more are expected to be installed which is half of the school. Over the summer vacation, the remaining ones will be installed to be up and running for September.
   ”Now Weston School is focused on raising money to help immerse students in 21st century learning by purchasing items such as laptop computers or netbooks, Kindles, cameras, and headphones that have microphones,” Ms. Landau said.