What's The League?
St. Greg's students join worldwide service organization
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

St. Gregory the Great seventh-graders Christian Curatolo, left, and Michael Phillips, Emil DiNardo, T.J. Barone, Dan Muzurowski and Peter O'Connor count food items donated in November as part of The League's food and clothing drive. The League is a worldwide service club that challenges students to "pay it forward" every month.

Pay it forward - it's a simple act that can be done every day and a message that two teachers at St. Gregory the Great want to instill in their students.

Colleen Politowski, a seventh- and eighth-grade reading and public speaking teacher, said she was browsing through a magazine and saw an article inviting teachers to join The League. She, and Michele Femia, a literacy specialist, are the coaches for St. Greg's The League teams.

The League is a worldwide organization that teaches youths to give back to their community and learn to treat others with kindness.

The first League challenge St. Greg's participated in was a food and clothing drive in November. The eighth grades were charged with collecting clothing and the seventh grades with food items.

"The students jumped right into it; they were excited to help others," Politowski said. "They were competing, but it was a healthy competition - in the end everyone wins."

The eighth-graders collected 2,200 pieces of clothing that they separated, donating to Response for Love Center and the school's Nicaragua mission. The League rules grant five points for each piece of clothing collected.

The seventh-graders collected more than 400 pounds of food, also donated to the Response for Love Center. They received one point for each food item.

"They did so well. Eighth-grade was first in New York State, and seventh-grade was fourth in the state," Politowski said.

The League challenged all participating schools to record their food drive totals in an attempt to be part of the world's largest food drive. Each school was asked to donated at least 200 pounds, and St. Greg's was able to double that.

Politowski said they have not yet heard from the Guinness Book of World Records on the outcome.

Each month the students receive another challenge. In January, they tried to cover a cutout crown with paper gems, each describing a random act of kindness. The crown recognizes the celebration of Kings Day in the Catholic religion.

"The idea is to pay it forward, doing something for someone else, and have the idea of kindness move through the community," she said, adding that the crown is almost completely full, with 150-200 gems.

In March, students will participate in "Art from the Heart," where they will design cards to be sent to soldiers serving overseas. Then, in April, the students will hold a penny drive; the beneficiary has not yet been named.

While the community is benefiting from the students' efforts, Politowski said the students are learning a lot.

"I'm so proud of them. In a time when people are saying youth don't care, these kids are trying, and succeeding. Small things make a difference," she said.

The eighth-graders have the opportunity to volunteer at the Response to Love Center. Politowski said the students are now planning to do a toy drive for Women and Children's Hospital, and deliver the toys themselves.

"It's important they get to see they are making a difference," she said.

Currently the St. Greg's team has 150 participants. There are approximately 390 schools in the United States that have joined The League. Christian Central Academy of Williamsville is also listed on The League's Web site.

For information on The League, visit www.theleague.org.