Panther Valley Elementary donates to classroom flooded by Harvey

Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters displaced thousands and impacted many more.

Teachers and students at Panther Valley Elementary were inspired by the storm to give back in some way.

Staff members recently worked together to raise money to purchase supplies for an elementary classroom in Texas. Through an online program, they sponsored a K-3 special education classroom that was flooded in the storm.

That’s coincidentally the same grades that attend Panther Valley Elementary.

“A teacher in Florida was running an online match program. We got matched with a K-3 special education classroom in Houston,” Palazzo said. “I thought it’s cool. They’re K-3, we’re K-3.”

Teachers raised enough to buy bookbags for each of the 20 students. Inside, they packed supplies like pencils, crayons and scissors. They also purchased books with an inspirational message so their teacher could read them.

Students did their part too, giving well-wishes on a huge greeting card that was prepared by art teacher Gail Christopher-Lazar.

Lazar said she was inspired to help raise money to purchase school supplies for families that had greater concerns at the time. Many of them lost everything, and had more crucial expenses than school supplies.

“These people spent all that money to prepare their children for school,” she said. “Now, they don’t have even basic things like beds, they don’t have a lot of clothing, and their parents need to focus on things like beds and medical supplies,” she said.

Lazar had the task of explaining why the students were signing the banner. She explained it was going to a school that was flooded. She said her students were concerned that the children in Houston had lost their beds, toys and other belongings. But she stressed that it was unlikely to happen here.

“I wanted them to feel secure but also impress upon them how important it is to put yourself in others’ shoes,” she said.

The items are being shipped down to Houston, where they will be distributed to the class along with the banner that the students signed. Palazzo said it was a good way to use the tragedy to teach the students a lesson about compassion.

“We thought it would be special to let them know our students were thinking about them — and also it teaches our students to care about others in a time of need even if they are not right in their neighborhood,” he said.