Amityville high school students play elves to the homeless in shelters

Students at Amityville Memorial High School (AMHS) put on their elf caps during this holiday season and worked in tandem with Charles Russo, a partner in the law firm of Russo, Carl, and Fox, in Hauppauge, on a project Russo has been coordinating for years.

During the three days of the "Christmas Magic" program, more than a dozen Amityville students, along with Rebecca DePaolo, a first year Special Education teacher at AMHS, and Jason McGowan, special education teacher and AMHS Awareness Weekend coordinator, shopped, wrapped, and doled out cookies and gifts to children living in homeless shelters. Russo provided the Amityville students with funds to shop for video games, clothes, and a host of other goodies for children in need. McGowan and DePaolo coordinated the shopping excursions, which helped to make "Christmas Magic 2006" the huge success that it was.

Over the course of three days, Amityville students shopped for presents for 15 children ranging in age from three months to sixteen years old, who are living with HIV. Each student was assigned one or two children to shop for, and selected items ranging from clothes to toys and music. On the last day, students gathered at the law office of Russo, Carl, and Fox, where they wrapped the gifts, then proceeded to an elementary school in Sayville where they dressed up in costumes, distributed presents and cookies, and helped children line up to visit with Santa.

Shown are some of the Amityville students who participated in "Christmas Magic 2006," along with teachers Jason McGowan and Rebecca DePaolo. The entire group consisted of tenth grader Kevin Graham, eleventh graders Vinessa Bailey, Gabby Bernard, Chelsea Cason, JoHanna Delia, Ashley Eareckson, Amy LaRosa, Crystal Perez, Michonda Plaza, Reyanna Williams and

Michelle Wilson, and seniors Jessica Berry, Sherris Joiner, Lizette Otero Shaina Ricketts and Faneca Senat. All involved students participated in the Awareness Weekend Program at AMHS.

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