In January, Mr. Matt Ritzert, former principal of New Philadelphia Tuscarawas Central Catholic (TCC) Elementary School and Dennison Immaculate Conception School, visited the seventh- and eighth-grade classes of TCC Jr./Sr High. He told them about the local Friends of the Homeless shelter and their mission. Mr. Ritzert also gave them a list of items that are always needed at the Friends of the Homeless shelter.
The students came up with a list of the most important items that the shelter needs and brainstormed ideas on how to raise money to buy or collect these items. Then, volunteers from each grade, with help from their religion teacher, Sandy Lawless, formed a committee to bring the class ideas to fruition.
Seventh graders Esperanza Cedillo DeLeon, Sybil Cronebaugh, Shayla Sica Perez, Lainey Satterfield, Lyla Terakedis and Addi Meryo and eighth-grader Sophia Cronebaugh (chairman) made up the committee. Together they decided to focus on blankets.
Using the money raised from three themed out-of-uniform days, the committee ordered fleece fabric. The seventh- and eighth-grade students then spent two class periods cutting and tying fleece panels together. Some blankets were solid black while others had black and print fabric.
The seventh- and eighth-grade classes made a total of 40 blankets to donate to the Friends of the Homceless.
Sophia Cronebaugh is an eighth grader at New Philadelphia Tuscarawas Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School.
