DIFFERENCE-MAKERS
Dorothy Nolan students send packages to hurricane victims
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.
» His family had already adopted a family in St. Thomas after hurricanes damaged the U.S. Virgin islands through Adopt a Family USVI, but Nicholas Longlois thought of something even bigger.
He asked his mother, Jaska Langlois, who was born in St. Thomas, if his third-grade classmates at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School could be involved.
The Langlois’ then approached Nicholas’ teacher, Jeannie Fontaine, with the idea.
“I knew our school was so caring and giving that we could get a lot accomplished with this cause, so we started it and then I mentioned to other teachers. The student council also wanted to help out and get involved with something related to the hurricane victims and we said, ‘Let’s join forces and see what we can do,’” Fontaine said. “With Nick’s guidance, he’d help us pack the boxes and we just to-
gether we brained stormed inspirational quotes, and we wrote little notes to them to just brighten their day when they got the box.”
Nicholas and his mother then crafted a letter to be sent home to families at Dorothy Nolan explaining the two major storms that hit the islands, pictures from the damage as well as items that families across St. Thomas need.
Included on the list of items were tarp, anything solar, hand sanitizer, canned foods, mosquito repellent and more.
More than 40 boxes have been collected, but it costs $18.95 for a flat-rate box. While Dorothy Nolan parents have been generous, but still need for community members to sponsor a box to be shipped.
Jaska Langlois can be reached at jaska@langlois. us and Fontaine can be reached out j-fontaine@ saratogaschools.org for those who want to learn how to donate to the cause.
For Fontaine’s thirdgrade class, this project has served as a practical, reallife experience.
The class has two guided questions this year: What’s the power of reading and education? How does where people live affect their access to that?
The children has read books about students building their own school in Africa and women in Afghanistan doing anything in their power to gain an education.
Helping children in St. Thomas ties into the lesson.
“These poor kids are not that far from us and they’ve lost everything and the ability to go to school right now, so we have a little piece, a little role in helping give them that back a little bit or give them some hope. I think it makes it more concrete for these kids that they can help,” Fontaine said. “This is a real thing.”
Jaska Langlois and her husband teach their kids to speak up. “Do good,” she said. “Be kind.”
She also always tells her son that one person can make a difference. It looks like Nicholas Langlois sure has.