PEA raises funds for Pennsbury marching band students

By Petra Chesner
Schiatter
Staff Editor

To help defray some students’ costs for the Pennsbury Marching Band’s trip to Hong Kong, China this year, the Pennsbury Education Association (PEA) sponsored a fall pie sale (Oct. 26 to Nov. 8).
A check for $3,659 was presented to the Pennsbury Marching Band Boosters on Jan. 14.
Ellen Payne, internal chair of the PEA, approached Frank Mazzeo, the marching band director, and told him the teachers wanted to raise the funds to help the band students.
The fundraiser was district-wide with 11 elementary schools, three middle schools and the high school participating. Pennsbury teachers collected, ordered and distributed the pies.
Mazzeo was touched by the generosity of his colleagues in their desire to make the trip attainable for all Marching Band members. He said to his colleagues: “You are all a daily inspiration with your work ethic, dedication and commitment to learning and I am extremely moved by your generosity and am even prouder to work with
Karen Benedict and Payne were coordinators of the PEA pe sale. Both are gifted support teachers at Pennwood Middle School. The teachers serve as internal and external communications chairpersons for the
PEA.
“It was brought to my attention that there are some students who were band members and this trip to China would be a financial burden to some students,” Payne said. “We decided as teachers to do the pie sale.”
Pie distribution took place on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The distribution of the pies was done through Pennwood Middle School on Nov. 20. “There were probably
about 12 different kinds of flavors of pie,” Payne said. Among the offerings were pumpkin, apple, Boston cream, pecan and sugar- free pies.
Letters and pie-order forms were sent to all the students throughout the school district and teachers.
When asked why the PEA’s effort is important, Payne said, “It’s important that the students and the community come together to support our students.” The pie sale allowed the community “to support our students going to Hong Kong.”
Payne said the PEA now plans to hold an annual fundraising event. Last year, the PEA collected supplies for the troops in Iraq.
PEA President George Miller, a .PHS high school statistics teacher, presented the check to Deb Alleva, president of the PMBB.
“This was rather fun for us,” Miller said at the presentation. “I’m sure all of you got a little taste of the pies: Some of you may still be paying for it. In the end, we came up with a nice piece of change.
“We knew that several students were having financial difficu1jsiq the money necessar5,r tcsgo on this ‘trip of a lifetime.’ There was a real possibility that without this money these kids would miss out,” Miller said after the meeting.
“We thought that a public display of teacher unity and effort might draw some attention to this problem and inspire others to donate or get involved with the fundraising effort.
“It was our first experience with such a large undertaking, but we dove in and threw our considerable resources at the problem.
Miller said this is the PEA’s first pie sale, but the teachers’ union has a long history of donating both time and money to the students and community members of the Pennsbury school district.
The PEA donates baskets to community auctions; sponsors youth athletic teams, and has donated thousands of dollars to the Pennsbury Scholarship Fund.
“Last year, we donated $5,000 to the graduating seniors headed to college to study teaching and we are currently developing a program that will offer ‘mini- grants’ to local non-profit organizations that work with or support the Pennsbwy learning community.” The teachers’ union (PEA) is comprised of teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, librarians, and nurses- “all working together with the community to help develop and foster a well-educated student body ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow today,” Miller said.