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Off to a good start

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Students in the SPHS prekindergarten class at Monessen Elementary Center are eager to check out the bin of school supplies provided by the Monessen/Rostraver Rotary on the first day of school.

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Kristen Joseph, president of the Monessen/Rostraver Rotary, hands erasers to fellow Rotarian Beverly Belczyk.

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Rotarian Phil Sparacella puts the finishing touches on one of the fifth-grade bins.

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Monessen/Rostraver Rotary president Kristen Joseph counts out 25 folders during a packing session at Monessen Elementary Center.

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Students in Alice Pastella’s kindergarten class at Monessen Elementary Center dig through the school supplies that were provided by the Monessen/Rostraver Rotary.

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Dr. Leanne Spazak, superintendent of the Monessen School District, puts tissues in one of the bins for students at Monessen Elementary Center.

MONESSEN – For students and teachers at Monessen Elementary Center, the first day of school earlier this week was like Christmas morning.

And they have members of the Monessen/Rostraver Rotary to thank for that.

“The district governor asked if we could donate some school supplies,” Rotary president Kristen Joseph said, “and we took it to the next level.”

Indeed, they did.

On Tuesay, each of the 396 SPHS pre-kindergarten students through fifth-graders in the school’s 18 homerooms and special education classes received an assortment of supplies, such as folders, notebooks, erasers and glue sticks, plus crayons or pencils, depending on the grade level.

In addition, each large plastic bin also contained tissues, paper towels and disinfecting wipes – much to the teachers’ delight – and a note from the Rotary wishing them a “wonderful and happy school year.” One bin even contained a small cactus to complement the theme of one of the fifth-grade teacher’s rooms.

“We made a budget, and we fit what we wanted to get within that budget,” Joseph said.

For a school district that is struggling financially, it was a real treat, said Dr. Leanne Spazak, superintendent of the Monessen School District, who helped pack the bins before she and Rotary members distributed them to each classroom.

“It is fantastic,” said Spazak, who has been the superintendent for four years after teaching at the school for 13. “The teachers often buy their own supplies. We’re grateful to have the Rotary here help us. They do anything for us.”

Spazak said she was looking forward to delivering the supplies, just to see the youngsters’ excitement.

And she wasn’t disappointed.

Among the first stops was a prekindergarten class, where students jumped up from their seats and rushed to open the bin, pulling out crayons, folders and notebooks. Their small mouths gaped wide open in surprise before they began shouting, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Students in Alice Pastella’s kindergarten class expressed their resounding thanks, too, as they made their way to the front of the class to take a peek at what was inside the bin.

“We’re creating havoc for the teachers,” Joseph joked.

But they didn’t seem to mind. As one teacher enthusiastically said, “This is everything we need.”

The Rotary has played Santa Claus at Christmas for students at the school, but this is the first time members have provided them with school supplies.

“We want to give back,” Rotarian Beverly Belczyk said. “We want to stay local and encourage others to give. We do it for the kids.”

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