Boyce students help brighten the holidays
A Boyce annual tradition spanning more than 20 years is the Friendship Shoebox project, organized by school counselors Amy Antonio and Mrs. Cayuela. Each of the school’s 645 students is asked to fill a shoebox with small gifts to brighten the holidays for another child. The gift wrapped shoeboxes are then delivered to children in Washington County through Northwestern Human Services. One-by-one the boxes leave the guidance classroom through a Friendship Shoebox Chain – passing from one student to the next down the hall, out the door and into the delivery truck. In addition to the Friendship Shoebox project, Boyce Middle School Student Council recently collected nearly 300 boxes of cereal to benefit the South Hills Interfaith Movement, which provides food, clothing and services to people in need in Pittsburgh’s southern suburban neighborhoods. Ultimately, school counselors and others hope that these community service projects help to instill empathy and a willingness to lend a hand to those in need.