Teachers and Students Collect School Supplies for Sandy Victims

For children of the badly damaged Oceanside district, going back to school isn't even an option. That's where second grade Deer Park teachers Karyn Phelan and Diane LoPicolo stepped in to help.

One of the Oceanside elementary schools was so ravaged by the hurricane, that the students had to be moved to an alternative school.

"The water came up to the second floor," Phelan said.

With their supplies washed away, the students were in a new school without notebooks, pencils or markers to work with. When they learned of the situation the students were faced with, LoPiccolo and Phelan decided to pitch in and get their own students involved in the work too.

Phelan and her second grade class at Abraham Lincoln, along with LoPiccolo of May Moore Elementary began collecting school supplies. The teachers distributed the items to the Oceanside school, where the students are now nicely adjusting, they said.

The teachers and students were honored for their volunteer efforts at a Board of Education meeting last week.

"It's just amazing what people do beyond their jobs," Superintendent Eva Demyen said.