The tornado that damaged a large section of Washington last May helped motivate students in the Highland of Ainsworth-Riverside High School government class to help recent tornado victims.

“We all saw what happened in Washington,” senior class member Lindsey Kauffman said. “We felt we needed to do something…we felt sorry for the victims.”

After seeing coverage of the damage and destruction left in the wake of tornadoes that ripped through parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, the entire class wanted to do something.

Teacher Dan Henderson thought of having jars near the school’s lunchroom in which 7-12 grade students could deposit spare change and other donations during lunch hours.

“I may have come up with the idea, but the kids have really supported it,” Henderson said. “They have done all the work.”

Class members Kauffman, Matt Strabala and Tiffany Jensen each manned the donation table for the two-week period, May 10-21. The government class hoped to reach a goal of $2,000.

“If we reach the goal, the class that has collected the most money for the victims will get a pizza party,” Kauffman said. As of press time, the race for the pizza party was a dead heat between the 7th grade and the senior class.

The government class was set to present a check to the local Red Cross Chapter Wednesday for the amount of the funds raised. According to Henderson, the funds will then be distributed to victims in Kansas and Oklahoma.

“This has been a very positive project,” Henderson said. “We have gotten great support from the students and from members of the business community in the district.”