Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Winter 2007 | Page 6

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The Value of Volunteerism

F

or more than 195 years, Thornton Academy has prepared students to take
their place in the ever-changing world. Through a rigorous and broadbased program of academics, arts and athletic opportunities, each day
Thornton’s faculty and staff challenge students to reach their potential in the
hopes that they will become lifelong learners and productive members of the
community.

As such, Thornton Academy has a long tradition of giving back. We see it
in the alumni who return to Thornton for reunions or volunteer for committees, boards and events. We see it in our faculty and staff, who give their time
to mentor a student, coach an athletic team, lead an an extracurriular activity
or advise a club. And we see it our students, who give their time and growing
talents to give back to the immediate community, to our country, and to the
world. From their experiences, students gain self-confidence, exercise leadership skills and strengthen their personal values. Here are a just a few of our
students’ stories:

Reach Out
to Soldiers
Class of 2000 alumna Tiffany
Regan’s sixth grade class spent
this past holiday season reaching
out to America’s soldiers in the
Middle East. After watching televised interviews with troops, the
class was inspired to send care
packages
to help
“[lift] the
burden our
soldiers
carry.”
After researching
what items
soldiers
would
most appreciate
receiving, gifts
including toiletries, drink mixes,
batteries and toys for Iraqi children were donated by students
and parents for the many care
packages the class would be sending.
As donations began to come
in, the class realized they would
need to formulate a way to tackle
the cost of shipping their holiday
gifts overseas. Through a bit of
creative thinking, students created “Reach out to Soldiers” cards,
which sold for .50 cents. Attached
to the cards were small rocks,
symbolizing the small weight
lifted for a soldier receiving the
students’ care packages.
The fundraiser was a great
success, with near $80 worth of
rocks sold in only the first day.
Vanessa Nason ’13 exclaimed that
“one kid even bought $22 worth
of rocks!”
Thanks to the students’
generosity Regan’s students
will be using the extra money
raised through the fundraiser
to purchase phone cards and
other small supplies for soldiers.
Regan’s class has shown that,
in keeping with the spirit of the
holiday season, it truly is better
to give than to receive.



Students Liz Tangney ‘10 and
Hayley Carter ‘09 prepare to
wrap a holiday gift to give to
a family in need. Photo by
Caron Smith Pelletier ‘98.

Helping Families for the Holidays
For the ninth year Thornton Academy students and
faculty joined in the spirit
of the season by helping
families in our region have a
more joyful holiday season.
Thornton received the names
of families in need from The
Salvation Army, and each
class supported the families
by donating holiday gifts.
This year marked the
first year students from
Thornton’s new middle
school participated in the
effort. Thornton faculty
members also supported the
effort by assisting classes
with donations and contributing small items for “stocking
stuffers.”
Melissa Small ’07, senior
class president, has participated
all four years she has attended
Thornton. She believes that it is
the “best thing Student Council
does” and likes the addition of

Melissa Small ‘07 and Lauren Titus ‘11 work side by
side during the holiday gift
wrapping session. Photo by
Caron Smith Pelletier ‘98.

the middle school students this
year.
It is nice to see the school
come together for this,” says
Small.
“It’s great,” adds Lauren
Titus ’11, middle school Student

Council member, “to give to all
the people and families. It feels
‘amazing!’”
Collecting the gifts was only
to first part of helping to bring a
happy holiday the families. On,
December 20, Student Council
members from each class, grades
6 through 12 joined together to
wrap all of the gifts. The Atkinson Dining Commons was overflowing with wrapping paper, tags
and bows. Once wrapped, all the
gifts were loaded into Thornton’s
mini bus and onto the back of a
pick up truck and delivered to
the Salvation Army—making this
another successful and fulfilling
year!

Sending Their Stories Overseas
After learning about child
labor and slavery in India, Uganda and throughout the modern
world, the Art Club at Thornton’s
middle school has joined in the
project “Books of Hope.” The pro-

gram sends student-made books
to refugee camps, schools, orphanages and hospitals worlwide.
Through the Books of Hope
program, the middle school Art
Club members will be sending
the stories they have
created overseas to children who have evaded
or escaped the grip of
slavery in Uganda and
India. It is the hope that
these books will not
only provide distraction
for children overseas,
but that they will help

Middle school Art Club
members Angelina Gott
‘12 and Hannah Wessels
‘12 work diligently to
design the books they
will contribute to “Books
of Hope.” Photo by Mitch
Boutin ‘01.

POSTSCRIPTS * WINTER 2007

children learn to read as many of
them attempt to return to school
often after spending years away
from a classroom.
The Thornton students have
been very creative, writing books
about many different subjects,
including sports and childhood.
Ellie Wiewel ’13 has created a
“touch n’ feel” animal ABC book.
She hopes to send her story to
young children in Uganda because “it’s fun [to do] something
for somebody else, and it’s fun
knowing you’re doing it for a
good cause.”
At the time of the printing
of Postscripts, the group hoped
to have their books completed to
pack and mail to children overseas by early March.