BY JESSICA PARKS
Students at Arts off 3rd, a
Sunset Park middle school,
have raised hundreds of dollars
in donations for the victims
of the recent Bronx fi re
that took the lives of 17 New
Yorkers, including several
children.
“Arts off 3rd centers the
Arts in all of our instruction.
That focus enables our students
to celebrate diversity
and expression and encourages
them to be advocates for
themselves and for others,”
said Donna Nastasi, founding
principal of the school. “I am
so proud of our students for
their tremendous efforts to
serve the New York City community
in a time of need.”
The Student Leadership
Council at the school, which
is technically called MS 936,
spearheaded the initiative
to raise funds for those displaced
COURIER L 34 IFE, JAN. 28-FEB. 3, 2022
by the devastating fi re
at the Twin Parks apartments
in the Belmont section of the
Bronx — collecting $936, an
homage to their school’s technical
name.
“It’s impressive and we are
incredibly proud of their hard
work,” said Liam Giordano, a
social studies teacher and advisor
to the Student Leadership
Council. “It’s honestly
an honor to advise them and
guide them, and essentially
facilitate their ideas and initiatives
to give back to their
school and also New York
City as a whole.”
An arts-based audition
school on 59th Street near
Third Avenue, the student
Liam Giordano (right), social studies teacher and advisor to student government, with four members of the
Student Leadership Council. Photo courtesy of Arts off Third
government hit the ground
running on the fundraiser
on the fi rst day of school after
the Jan. 9 fi re, using the entirety
of the club’s budget to
buy snacks and ice cream to
sell, said Giordano.
“The very first weekday
after news had broken about
the fire, the student government
quickly mobilized,”
Giordano said. “They spent
all the funds that they had
available stocking up on
things they could sell to fundraise.”
The 20 children in the student
government also made
posters and solicited donations
from other classrooms
to collect $936 in only a week
and a half — that was sent to
the New York City Mayor’s
Fund, which is providing assistance
to families of the fi re,
on Jan 20.
Students said it felt great
to give back to neighbors in
their greater community.
“The Bronx families affected
by the deadly apartment
fi re lost all of their essentials
and the money we
raised will help them get
back on their feet,” said Kate,
a middle schooler at Arts off
Third in student government.
“I feel really good about raising
money for these families
because it is a really important
cause.”
The fi re, which resulted
from the use of a space heater
in an apartment, quickly sent
plumes of smoke throughout
the 19-story building, as
the doors to the unit and the
nearby staircase were left
open, despite a law requiring
automatically-closing doors.
Among the victims were
eight children, including
a 2-year-old and two 5 year
olds.
Sunset Park
middle schoolers
raise money for
Bronx fi re victims