Tristate children are still coming up with projects to help in disaster relief, more than six weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

        And many are still expressing their thoughts and feelings on paper.

        Some words from an eighth-grade class at Roselawn Condon School reflect anger, love of country and pride in themselves.

        In a poem written by Malcolm Tolliver, titled “America Will Survive,” he said:

        “.... This is our nation.

        We will get you back in retaliation.

        This is the land of the brave and the free.

        If you're messing with my nation, you're messing with me...”

        His twin brother, Trent, expressed his confidence that the country will prevail by relying on its strength, truthfulness and the bigness of our hearts.

        In his poem, We Will Prevail, he wrote:

        “We will prevail, both strong and true.

        We will prevail, we always do.

        We will prevail for our hearts are big.

        And we will pray for all the graves we had to dig....”         The Student Government Association at Robert A. Taft High School, West End and the DECA Club at the School for Creative and Performing Arts showed their concern by collecting 14,000 quarters.

        They presented a check to the American Red Cross Relief Fund this week to help support families affected by the Sept. 11 tragedy.

        Continuing in that spirit, the theme of the fall parties this year at Struble Elementary in the Northwest School District will be: “I'm Proud to be an American.”

        On Wednesday, all students, staff and parents attending the parties are asked to wear red, white and blue clothing.

        Festivities begin at 2:15 p.m. with students walking in a parade around the playground, carrying the American flag. After the parade, students will gather around the flagpole, and say the Pledge of Allegiance. They will return to their classrooms for their fall parties.

        The Finneytown High School Key Club will revise trick or treat this year by sponsoring a Treat the Hungry on Wednesday. They will go door-to-door on Halloween between 6-8 p.m. to collect canned goods for the FreeStore/FoodBank.

        Students in Catholic schools in the Cincinnati archdiocese have responded by raising funds to help children affected by the attacks.

        They responded to a call by Sister Kathryn Ann Connelly, S.C., Superintendent of Catholic Schools, by raising $85,000 to help pay tuition for Catholic school students in New York.

        Sister Kathryn Ann asked students to donate their own money earned from jobs or allowances.

        Many students collected extra money through different activities:

        • Students at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering donated more than $2,400 for tuitions, plus $2,600 to the Red Cross.

        • Students at Our Lady of Victory School in Delhi Township donated more than $1,400 to tuitions and more than $1,300 to the Red Cross.

        • Students at St. Helen School in Dayton donated $1,028 to tuitions and $173 to the Red Cross, which they raised in a bake sale.

        • Students at St. Veronica School in Mount Carmel are collecting money for children in Afghanistan.

        “We are thrilled at the response from the students,” said Dan Andriacco, communication director for the archdiocese. “They went beyond what was requested and raised money for the Red Cross.”

        Twelve hundred students from Loveland Intermediate and Middle schools formed a human chain along Lebanon Road Friday morning. The students passed many of the 4,000-plus canned and other nonperishable food items from their campus to the LIFE (Loveland Inter Faith Effort) Food Pantry, located in Prince of Peace Lutheran Church up the street.

        Once there, fifth- and sixth-grade student council members divided the food by types and loaded it into parents' vans. They brought it to the Loveland Safety Center where it will be stored. Firefighters helped unload the food from vans.

        The food will be taken to the Masonic Lodge Nov. 16. It will be sorted on Nov. 18 and distributed Nov. 19. Anyone who can help on any of those dates is asked to call 583-3007, ext. 200.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Monday-Friday and Sundays. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are performing acts of kindness that are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at (513) 768-8362; at ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.

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