SANDY CREEK, NY – Although Ukraine is half a world away from the quiet streets and country roads of the Sandy Creek Central School District, students, teachers and community members have answered the call for much needed supplies for the war ravaged eastern European nation.
Concern for the citizens of Ukraine is at the forefront of the minds of the students and faculty of the Sandy Creek district, and their generous donations will help ease the suffering of the beleaguered citizens of the democratic nation under constant attack by the forces of a much larger neighbor.
Sandy Creek Central School Global History teacher Caitlin White has been instructing her students regarding the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, focusing recently on the Soviet Union period of history and Josef Stalin’s abuses of the Ukrainian people as part of his economic policies. The introduction of this part of her curriculum happened to coincide with the recent Russian invasion.
“It all just sort of fit in and it stimulated a lot of discussions in class, which led me to begin to research groups that are accepting much needed donations,” White said.
Despite the fact that she is very well educated regarding the historical dynamics between Ukraine and Russia, White found Putin’s invasion “sickening” and seeing news reports of the suffering of the ordinary citizens brought her to action.
White said that she tries to teach her students to look beyond the politics of any situation and to develop an understanding of the viewpoint of the civilians and also to grasp the scope and size of the refugee crisis.
White’s supply drive quickly gathered a long list of necessary items including gauze, bandages and band-aids, handy travel size first aid kits, alcohol wipes, diapers, and a variety of toiletries.
The incredible outpouring of care and concern for the people of Ukraine across the globe has created a backlog of supplies, which has caused a shipping bottleneck. White contacted St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church, located in Syracuses’s Tipperary Hill neighborhood, and found that they would accept the donations and expedite their shipment to Poland.
Church members will sort through the donated items, and set some aside for the expected influx of Ukrainian refugees that are expected to soon begin arriving in Syracuse.
White said that SCCS Drama Club advisors Sandy Machuga and Brooke Morse promoted the supply drive and accepted items at all performances of the school’s recent musical production, and that she was thankful for Jonn Stoker’s help with loading the many boxes into her tightly packed SUV.
“I feel like this is making a difference and the kids from the elementary, middle and high school feel like they are making a difference and helping,” White said.
White noted that despite the fact that there is a lot of need in the Sandy Creek and Northern Oswego County area, that it is nice to see the outpouring of support.
“It’s a small gesture, but anything helps, and it’s nice that we can provide that,” White said.
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