Four City Hill Middle School eighth-graders performed songs for their classmates as students walked into school this (Wednesday, Dec. 19) morning. They had a large bucket set up for monetary donations from students, teachers and staff, who placed dollar bills and spare change in the bucket before school. By the time the school bell rang, the large pretzel bucket was nearly filled.
The money will go toward a scholarship for principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School and a Naugatuck native. She was the great aunt of Tyler Suarez, eighth-grader and guitar player.
Suarez was on the strings Wednesday morning, while Michael Martinez played the clarinet, Omari Solomon played the trumpet and Zach Mathieu played drums.
Suarez's mother, MaryAnn (Cyr) Suarez, said she contacted Patch about the event to raise more awareness of the scholarship fund in honor of her aunt, who died trying to save children.
The scholarship will be given annually to a graduating Naugatuck High School senior planning to pursue a career in education. Read more about the scholarship and how to donate here.
It wasn't the only way in which City Hill students have been helping their community recently.
Inside the school, students were wrapping up their annual holiday food drive. They had collected more than 1,000 food items for the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank and were expected more donations today, said eighth-grader Maya Torres, chief organizer.
