Students do more than just think of India quake victims

Angela Soo

Friday, March 9, 2001 | 4:04 a.m.

The earthquake in India that killed more than 20,000 people in January might have been continents away from Las Vegas, but some local students made that world event come alive at their school.

Rancho High School students raised $1,278 last month during a 60-second giving spree in all of the school's classrooms.

Organizers of "A Miracle Minute" arranged for buckets to be passed around in each classroom for one minute. When the clock started ticking, students were eager to part with their riches.

"My father showed me a Red Cross article in the paper asking for donations," Priya Joshi, National Honor Society president and organizer of the fund-raiser, said. " I had been thinking about how Rancho High School students can help and jumped at this opportunity."

In addition to the deaths, the earthquake in India, which measured a 7.7 magnitude, left about 1 million people homeless.

"I have many family members living in that area -- uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins," Joshi said.

The student organizers weren't sure they would get much support, because the earthquake took place halfway around the world, Assistant Principal Roger Jacks said. They didn't know how many students would remember to bring donations, and the collections occurred right after lunch, when they might have already spent all of their cash.

"We didn't know what to expect," Alicia Hegie, National Honor Society student, said.

Rancho High School students did remember, Jacks said. The diverse student body generally is "generous and tolerant" of each other, he said, adding that he never doubted their willingness to help others.

All of the funds went to the Southern Nevada chapter of the Red Cross. Walter Reed, director of financial development, was amazed by the students' goodwill.

"It's hard to make people care," Reed said. "When you read about something like this in the paper, it's easy to forget about -- except, when it becomes personalized."

Reed said he thinks Rancho's diverse student population made "A Miracle Minute" possible.

To begin with, he said, Joshi, the organizer, "has family over there, and students can relate to that. It put a face on disaster."

Other students, he said, are more inclined to think globally because of the school's diversity.

"They are focused, intelligent, bright and ask all the right questions," Reed said. "One student was concerned about corruption from the other end, whether the victims were going to get the full 100 percent of the money. These are a wonderful group of kids who saw people suffer and wanted to make an impact. It's great to see that kind of follow-through."

Students normally organize car washes to help raise money, which typically generate $400 to $500, Reed said.

"One thousand dollars is a lot of money for students to raise," Reed said, "and it's all for somebody else."

Once the minute was up, honor society members collected the buckets and counted donations in the physics lab, where their adviser, Sherrie Nelson, proudly observed her students.

"The students raised more than any past fund-raiser that we've had so far," Nelson said. "They did it all themselves. They thought of the idea and organized it all."

Students also credited support from faculty and administrators for their help in making the project succeed.

"Teachers were really good in reminding the students about the fund-raiser, and Mr. Jacks made several announcements over the intercom system," honor society student Janet Michel said.

Joshi personalized the earthquake for her classmates; the nature of Rancho High School and its student body made the fund-raiser to help victims possible.

"Maybe it's that diversity that makes them so wonderful," Reed said.