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The Daily Tar Heel

Senior class' first in series of service projects successful after time extended

After a rocky start, the senior service committee’s first project collected more than $300 and 80 school items for students at East Chapel Hill High School.

Though a final count has yet to be made, Liz Deane, president of the senior class, said extending the supply drive another week helped overcome an initial lack of participation.

“East Chapel Hill High School didn’t have an exact deadline it needed the supplies by, so it made sense to extend the drive and collect more for (the school),” she said.

Eileen Tully, principal of East Chapel Hill High School, said donators have previously overlooked Chapel Hill high schools in favor of less affluent schools.

But with the economy on the decline and the cost of attending school rising, she said her students are in more need of support.

With technology playing an ever-increasing role in the classroom, Tully said making sure every student is prepared for class is an ongoing challenge that the supply drive well help alleviate.

“Going to school anymore is not just paper and pencil,” she said. “It’s technology. It’s much more expensive items that kids need. … Giving students those paper supplies lets children access these more expensive things.”

The supply drive marked the first project in a long list of planned activities, including trick-or-treating for UNICEF, participating in Operation Christmas Child and writing holiday cards to soldiers, that the senior class marshals intend to conduct each month.

The school supply drive was extended an extra week after the start of the drive yielded no donations. Justin Tyler, senior class vice president, said the supply drive is important because it is a way for seniors to give back to the community.

“East Chapel Hill High School does have a diverse student population, and not all of their students have all of the necessary supplies they need for the school year, so it would be great if seniors could help out in any way possible,” Tyler said. “Not every K-12 student in the community is fortunate enough to buy their own supplies, so we should definitely help out if we are able to.”

Senior Amanda MacLaren said members of the University community have a stake in the condition of the Triangle community, making the supply drive a mutually beneficial project.

“We, as students, rely upon the town of Chapel Hill and the surrounding community, like Durham and Carborro, for what we do not only academically but also socially,” she said.

“So if we are supporting our town, we’re supporting ourselves.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.

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