Schools

Hillside Students Raising Funds for UNICEF Tap Project [VIDEO]

Local second and fourth graders visited Needham restaurants last week to share their message about water conservation and needs around the world

Wearing bright blue shirts and singing “Water, Water” (to the tune of the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar”), students visited restaurants around Needham last week in an effort to raise awareness about water conservation and the UNICEF Tap Project.

The second and fourth graders, teaming up through the school’s Buddy Project, dropped by , and 19 other local businesses to ask for their help in collecting money during World Water Week, March 20-26. The students explained the importance of water conservation and left buckets to collect money from restaurant patrons that will help support the UNICEF Tap Project and provide clean drinking water to people all over the world.

For weeks now, the students have been studying water and water conservation, including a visit to the Needham Water Treatment Plant.

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“We learn about where Needham water comes from, where Boston water comes from, how to conserve water. We’ve tested the water. And we’re really trying to get our message out, trying to get people to conserve water and think about water,” said Amy Cicala, who teaches fourth grade at Hillside Elementary School.

The program, now in its fourth year, is a collaboration by Cicala and her students, second grade teacher George Goneconto and his students and George’s wife, Si Si Goneconto.

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What started as a “buddy project”—teaming up second graders with the older fourth graders to learn from one another—developed into a program with an even greater impact.

“We decided four years ago that we wanted to do something that would be a little more meaningful and more service-oriented,” Cicala said. “We developed this program to really focus on water and water needs around the world.”

Local residents can help the students with their efforts by dropping a dollar or two into the UNICEF Tap Project buckets located at a variety of Needham businesses this week, March 20-26. Participating businesses include: Abbott’s Frozen Custard, , , , , , , Fuji Steak House, , , , , , Not Your Average Joe’s, , , , Sweet Corner, and . Also participating is La Morra in Brookline.

This year, with the help of parent Seth Bloom, Hillside students are exploring the benefits of social media in getting their message out, using Tumblr and Twitter to help spread the word.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Hillside Water Project website, where they can print off a tip card, write in a tip for saving water, and photograph or scan in the completed card to submit their ideas back to the students, to be posted on the site.

The community also can follow the students on Twitter @HillsideH20.


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