Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 5, 1995                   TAG: 9505050096
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TRAGEDY CALLS TO ROANOKE STUDENTS

The children at Roanoke's Fallon Park Elementary School have emptied their piggy banks and donated their coins to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.

They have raised $337 in individual contributions, which will be paired with a donation from the Parent-Teacher Association. The $675 total will go to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, with a request that the money be used in Oklahoma City.

The bombing has evoked strong emotions in children at other Roanoke Valley schools as well. Some have reacted by writing letters to the survivors or dedicating songs to the victims, especially the children.

At Fallon Park, the children initiated the fund drive, said Peggy King, a fourth-grade teacher.

"They came to me after spring break and said they wanted to raise money. It was quite an extraordinary effort," King said. One class alone raised $70.

"They were so concerned and cared so much. I'm so proud of them," she said.

At James Madison Middle School in Roanoke, the sixth-graders in Kay McGrath's class have written letters to Oklahoma City residents and relatives of the bombing victims to express sympathy and concern.

The letters include positive messages designed to provide an emotional boost for the survivors and others affected by the bombing.

"The children are saying they feel the loss, but they also feel the hope," McGrath said.

Some letters are touching.

"One letter told them to remember that the [victims] who are in heaven can't be hurt again," McGrath said. "They urge the people to keep their chin up, to stay positive."

Students at Patrick Henry High School will raise money Thursday to benefit the people of Oklahoma City.

Abby Fifer, freshman class president, said students will get to buy chances to dump teachers into a dunking booth.

Other students are remembering the bombing victims through music. The kindergartners at Monterey Elementary School dedicated a song Wednesday to the children and families in Oklahoma City.

The Monterey children participated in a multicultural program at William Byrd High School and sang "Heal the World."

Teresa Goad, a kindergarten teacher at Monterey, said the pupils wanted to express sympathy for the bombing victims and survivors.

"It was their way of showing that they cared," she said.