11-13-02: Celina students chip in to help tornado victims

11-13-02: Celina students chip in to help tornado victims

By JANIE SOUTHARD
The Daily Standard

    Seven-year-old Keaton Mohler of Celina had a good idea Monday morning as he was getting ready for school.
    He thought of a way to help people in Van Wert who were hurt or lost their homes in the storms that struck that town Sunday afternoon. Then he thought about the children.
    "I thought about the kids not having stuff to play with, and I thought if every kid in our school would give a dollar, we could send money to the Van Wert kids," said the Celina East Elementary School second-grader.
    Keaton borrowed $2 from his mom (which he'll probably pay back from the allowance he gets weekly for cleaning up his room) to get the ball rolling and, when he got to school, he told his teacher his idea.
    Teacher Deb Lehman was touched by Keaton's concern for other people, and Principal Matt Miller also was impressed with the plan and gave it the go-ahead.
    Monday night Keaton got a box from his dad's office and created a big collection box covered in brown paper with newspaper photos of Van Wert glued on the sides.
    "I think we might get $55," said the brown-eyed Keaton when asked how much he thinks the fund will raise. A quick glance in the collection box, which is kept in the school's office, showed at least 55 greenbacks already collected on the first day.
    "The fund will run through Friday for the whole school. We'll count our class money every day, which is also a good math lesson," Lehman said.
    After The Daily Standard talked with Keaton in his classroom Tuesday morning, his classmates raced in from recess and offered their thoughts on the recent storms and the consequences as well as the importance of giving to others.
    What should people do when a tornado is coming?
    One young fellow in bright red pants said everybody should go to their basement and wait 'til it's over.
    "What if you don't have a basement?" asked a nearby classmate.
    "But I do have a basement," said the first student.
    "Or you could just go to a room with no windows," said a diplomatic youngster from across the room.
    A young lady in a dark red velvet shirt shifted the conversation by telling what to do if a tornado comes during school hours.
    "Go out in the hall. Sit on the floor and put your arms behind your neck," she said.
    What other things can people do to help the Van Wert storm victims?
    "We can put them in our prayers," said a little girl in pink.
    "I think we should have a field trip and just go over there and help," announced a forthright 7- year-old.
    Van Wert firefighter Jon Jones, Lehman's brother-in-law, will act as contact in Van Wert and will accept the money next week from East school's ambassador, Keaton Mohler, who started it all with a good idea.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY STANDARD

Phone: (419)586-2371, Fax: (419)586-6271
All content copyright 2002
The Standard Printing Company
P.O. Box 140, Celina, OH 45822