Pumpkins for Kevin
Kevin Sze touched many hearts during his short life. Now, the Huntington school community is pulling together to raise funds for a scholarship in his memory. The campaign is being waged under the banner, “Pumpkins for Kevin” and it’s starting to gather significant steam.
“To some the fall means carving pumpkins, going trick or treating, or raking leaves,” Woodhull Intermediate School nurse Martha Ironman said. “But to the students and staff at Woodhull, this fall means ‘Pumpkins for Kevin.’” The effort is the brainchild of sixth grade teacher Jenny Finnegan. Mr. Sze lost his battle with osteosarcoma in April 2008 and his friends quickly organized a scholarship in his name.
The fundraiser works to help decorate the halls of Woodhull and support the scholarship, which will make its inaugural award next spring. The goal of the scholarship committee is to raise $9,600 during the coming school year. This amount will finance the annual award in each of the six years of the scholarship’s initial lifespan. Organizers hope a successful fundraising effort will lead to an even longer lifespan for the scholarship.
Scholarship applicants must be college-bound Huntington High School seniors. Students will be required to submit an essay to the scholarship committee no later than May 1 each year describing a personal obstacle that s/he has overcome in life and how that obstacle proved to be life changing. Students must also submit a letter of recommendation from a staff member or a community or religious leader.
The scholarship committee will read the applications “blind” with the names of students blacked out. One scholarship recipient will be chosen each year. A check for $1,600 will be presented at the annual Senior Academic Awards Night. Organizers selected the yearly amount because they felt that Kevin gave 100 percent for each of his 16 years. In addition to helping a deserving senior, the goal of the scholarship is simple: To keep the memory of Kevin Sze alive.
Sixth graders in Ms. Finnegan’s class were quick to support the cause. “They were the first to begin bringing in donations and punching out the pumpkin die cuts,” Mrs. Ironman said. “They quickly volunteered to sell the pumpkins during the first ten minutes of each lunch period.”
Even those students and staff at Woodhull who never met Mr. Sze are generously participating in the fundraising activities. Pumpkins are priced a $1 and the sponsor’s name is written on the pumpkin and then placed on a hallway wall. More than 530 pumpkins were sold during the opening days of the effort.
Southdown Primary School also joined the “Pumpkins for Kevin” campaign. The effort there is being led by second grade teacher Tiffany Kelly, who currently counts Kevin’s younger brother among her students. Pumpkins are lining the same hallways where years earlier Kevin walked.
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