Wallkill Valley NEHS students expand community service

Students in the Randy Pausch chapter of the National English Honor Society at Wallkill Valley Regional High School have spent the school year leading a variety of service projects aimed at supporting literacy and strengthening community connections.

The student-led organization has provided tutoring for peers, created a “give-a-book, take-a-book” library and organized schoolwide activities including writing and door decorating contests. Members also wrote letters to veterans for a Veterans Day event at Sussex County Community College and to teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.

In addition, students served as pen pals to eighth graders in sending districts, highlighting academic and extracurricular opportunities at Wallkill Valley, and hosted a districtwide spelling bee for fifth graders.

The group also organized a book sale fundraiser and coordinated letter-writing efforts for children receiving care at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Members participated in the national Wreaths Across America initiative and collected school supplies for future donations to Family Promise of Sussex County.

Among the group’s recent efforts was a “Read Across America” project at Ogdensburg Elementary School, where students collaborated with second graders to write and present an original children’s book about a trip to the zoo. The visit also included reading activities with preschool and third grade students and related art projects.

“It’s really nice how the society isn’t just in Wallkill itself but in the surrounding community,” said senior and vice president Anthony Peluso. “It’s really assuring when the younger students appreciate what we do.”

The honor society, advised by teacher Jennifer Grabowski, is also developing a children’s book project with Wallkill Valley preschool students that will be illustrated and published as a graduation gift.

Upcoming initiatives include a StoryFile presentation in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey on April 23, featuring interactive, AI-based interviews with Holocaust survivors Mark Schonwetter and Hanna Wechsler, along with a live presentation by Wechsler.

The group also plans to recognize high-achieving students with a “SAT Hall of Fame” display for those scoring between 700 and 800 on the English portion of the exam.

Grabowski said she is proud of the students’ commitment to service and academic excellence.

“Every day my students remind me of the importance of giving back to the community,” she said. “They are truly an inspiration to the Wallkill Valley community.”