NORTHPORT
Saving 60,000
By Tricia Arend/ tarend@longislandernews.com

Northport High School will be bursting with the sights, smells and sounds of New Orleans next week when Students for 60,000 hosts its first annual New Orleans Night in the school cafeteria.

Approximately 300 students are involved in Students for 60,000, a club that is active in raising funds for those in need, said advisor Peter White. Throughout the school year they have raised approximately $20,000 to $40,000 for local and New York City causes and over $85,000 for Nicaragua, which they visit twice annually to help local communities. Next Saturday’s event will benefit Hurricane Katrina victims who still lack adequate housing and schools.

“They want to have this evening to draw attention to the fact that there are still needs in that part of the country,” said White.

From 7 p.m. to10 p.m. guests will enjoy home-cooked traditional dishes native to New Orleans and live jazz and blues music. Tickets for the May 16 event, which are available for sale at the door, cost $10 for students and $15 for adults.

While the students focus on bringing a taste of New Orleans to Northport, the Board of Education is focusing on acquiring a new advisor for the club. Students for 60,000 was founded in 1987 by White, who was the club’s advisor until 2005 when he retired. White came back this year because the school couldn’t find a replacement advisor ready to handle the approximately 30 hours of work a week.

“The job takes up so many hours and so much dedication. It’s not like an ordinary club; the activities permeate the whole year - nights, weekends, vacation time - because of the fundraising, baking, correspondence, committees, speaking engagements,” White said.

When White leaves at the end of this school year, the club will need a new advisor yet again, so the Board of Education is offering it as a 0.6 position as part of the curriculum to make it a more attractive position. The teacher selected for the position would only teach two periods a day, instead of the typical five, and concentrate strictly on the club, said Board of Education Trustee Phil Fortuna, while receiving a regular teacher’s salary.

The district is currently still gathering applications for the position, and cannot say when the new advisor will be selected, Fortuna added.

Fortuna is hopeful this change will attract “passionate” candidates because the club has had a substantial impact on the students and the local community.

“We need to keep this club alive so we can continue to watch our kids go through this life experience,” Fortuna said of the group’s Nicaragua trips.

Fortuna added, “As a Board member who is concerned about our rising school budgets and property taxes, I can say without any doubt that we cannot put a dollar figure on the value of the experiences our students are having with Students for 60,000…”