Greenbacks for Greensburg
Midlothian Middle students help Kansas school district ravaged by massive tornado
By Sande Snead CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tyler Prybyla (from left), Chelsea Harpool and Emily Ko were among the many students at Midlothian Middle School who helped raise money for Greensburg, Kansas. An F-5 tornado destroyed 95 percent of the town.

When Midlothian Middle School teacher Manuel Rios learned that an F-5 tornado had ripped through a town near where he used to teach in Liberal, Kansas, he was naturally drawn into the story. Then, while watching CBS News, Rios heard Darrin Headrick being interviewed, and his heart stopped cold. Headrick was the principal at West Middle School where Rios previously taught, and is now superintendent of schools in Greensburg - a town that was 95 percent destroyed.

Rios decided that he would rally the Midlothian Middle student body behind the cause of helping this town of 1,500 recover, and a fundraising campaign dubbed Greenbacks for Greensburg was born.

"My expectations were that the students might raise as much as $1,000 for this Kansas school district. The first day, we had raised $490; the second day it was $1,400 and every day outdid the one before."

In just one week of fundraising activities, Rios sent a check for more than $6,600 to Greensburg.

"I am just blown away by what the students did here," Rios said. "A couple of kids took the initiative to stand out in front of Ukrop's and ask for donations. The Builder's Club made posters, the Drama Team sold beaded necklaces, and a teacher advertised the campaign on a daily basis. The Student Council stayed after school for hours every day counting every penny and depositing the daily take."

Midlothian Middle students also learned about what it might be like to live through a natural disaster. The massive twister - as much as a mile wide - wiped out entire neighborhoods and spared almost nothing. Only a few buildings were left standing in the town's business district.

Sixth-grader Elizabeth Scarpa was inspired to donate her allowance when her science teacher told the class to imagine what it would be like to go on vacation and come back to find nothing there - no homes, no schools, no buildings.

"My parents said they would pay 10 times as much as I donated, so I gave $20 and they gave $250 and then I gave another $20," Scarpa said.

The money raised is going to the South Central Community Foundation's Greensburg

Future Fund to help rebuild the community.

Student Council Association member Tyler Prybyla helped count money after school each day for the week of the fundraising drive.

"We were told that the classes that raised the most would get a pizza party, so it got competitive. Some people participated just for the pizza party, others to get revenge on other classes, but lots of kids just wanted to help raise money for them."

A pizza party was held late last month, and Midlothian Middle students signed a big card to go along with the greenbacks they are sending to Greensburg.

"I didn't have any idea we would raise this much money," Prybyla said. "Mr. Rios thought we would raise maybe $500 for the whole school, but one class raised more than $1,000 and another class close to $1,000. It's really been incredible."