Seniors raise funds to benefit Housing Transitions of Centre County

After about two years of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacting senior institute charities at Bellefonte Area High School, the class is finally able to host an event that will benefit Housing Transitions of Centre County. “It’s exciting to get back into the swing of things,” English teacher Jessica Lloyd said.

Senior Institute is a class that has been a part of the school for more than 20 years. It’s a combination of English and art, where students are able to plan a charity project each year to benefit the community. Lloyd said the class is designed to teach students how to plan an event, solve problems beyond the classroom and build meaningful community connections. Lloyd teaches English and Heather Fry teaches art with the 10 students in this year’s program.

“Students have been in charge of the entire process, from brainstorming event ideas to selecting the charity to raise money for,” Lloyd said. “We start off with general brainstorming sessions and teambuilding activities, and from there we move forward with exploring ideas that sometimes require a vote. After we select the idea, each day we revisit the planning process during the third (marking period) as we move forward with each step of the process.”

The festival is this year’s charity component of the class, which will include food trucks, craft vendors, live music, a kids’ carnival and artwork from student classes that will be for sale. There will also be a basket raffle. Registration fees and profits from the raffle will go to Housing Transitions. In the past, other charity events have included dinners and food sales.