By Denise Smith Amos
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HYDE PARK - Some Summit Country Day School students are trying to make good come from adversity.

Their school is closed after part of it collapsed last weekend.

Some high school girls are volunteering this week at Washington Park Elementary School in Over-the-Rhine, tutoring and assisting with classes, while at least 10 high school boys are helping disabled children at the Stepping Stones Center in Indian Hill.

"A lot of parents were interested in their kids using this week for something good," said Linda Berry, a Summit parent whose ninth-grade son, Austin, volunteered at Stepping Stones.

Torie Russert, a Summit ninth-grader from Hyde Park, has been tutoring at Washington Park. She helped students in eighth grade work on research papers.

"It was fun to help them and get to relate to them because they have totally different lifestyles from us," she said.

At Stepping Stones Center, eight to 10 Summit boys have showed up each day at 8:30 a.m. to work with preschoolers and kindergartners.

Some stay until the day program ends at 3 p.m., but others leave earlier to make Summit sports practices.

For most Summit students, though, it's become a second holiday break.

A skating party is planned 4-6 p.m. today at Beechmont Rollarena for the fourth-grade class, about 80 students, said Brent Gambill of Anderson Township, father of two daughters, 10 and 7.

E-mail damos@enquirer.com