Tuxedo Park. Tuxedo Park School 7th and 8th Graders making mask strings for a cause

Every year, Tuxedo Park School students hold numerous community service fund raisers. As part of the TPS service-learning curriculum, students plan and execute everything from deciding on the cause to the service work itself.

During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Tuxedo Park School students and faculty wear pink to raise awareness and support those affected by this illness. This year, students decided to take their support a step further and contribute more directly.

In an effort led by sixth-grade advisor and math teacher Melissa Leventhal, Tuxedo Park School students are hand-stitching mask strings marked with pink ribbons. They have designed a marketing plan and are selling the strings to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. The mask strings, which clip onto the ear loops, make taking off masks more hygienic and accessible, but more importantly, they make a positive statement of affinity with survivors.

In the past, examples of student-driven service projects include collecting canned goods and cereal boxes for local food pantries, sewing handmade pencil cases for students in Botswana and designing reusable bags to benefit the Marie Ferrara Children’s Hospital.

TPS also holds annual drives such as The Giving Tree, dedicated to collecting warm winter gear, and the Kindergarten Post Office, where proceeds from stamp sales benefit a local charity voted on by the students.

All service projects support the TPS Mission: Be Kind. Be Fair. Be Responsible.