JACKSON TWP — The noisy, upbeat atmosphere outside the cafeteria at Ryan Gloyer Middle School on Friday belied the very serious event playing out in the hallway.

Four students who either were born in, or have relatives in, Ukraine joined together with their principal, Tony Babusci, to come up with a way to raise funds for UNICEF’s Ukraine fund drive as the suffering in their war-torn homeland grinds on.

Alisa Yeremenko, a seventh-grader at the school, said Babusci came up with the idea to make sunflower pins and bracelets with blue and yellow beads.

“He brought up his daughter making bracelets,” Alisa said.

The four students plus 10 of their classmates spent every spare minute during the school day making the pins and bracelets.

Blue bead necklaces and small Ukraine flags were added to the list of items being sold for a dollar to support the people of Ukraine as they face the Russian invasion.

The students raised $2,000 on Thursday and hoped to raise more on Friday.

“We ran out of inventory,” said Daniela Tyrpak, a seventh-grader. “We were making more between classes.”

Daniela has family in Ukraine, where her father worked at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to evaluate the damage after its meltdown in 1986.

“The streets my parents would walk every day, the schools they went to, they’re gone,” Daniela said.

She also has family in Russia.

“They are blinded by propaganda,” Daniela said.

Annika Kyyashko, an eighth-grader, said her classmates know she is Ukrainian and have been sensitive to her recent stress.

“A lot of my friends reached out to me and said, ‘I’m praying for your family,’” Annika said. “It’s really cool to see that and see the bright side of our school.”

Alisa arrived in the United States from Ukraine in October 2020, and visited her home country in 2021.

“It’s very sad because all my relatives are in danger,” Alisa said of the invasion. “It’s just really hard for them now.”

She said communicating with family in Ukraine has been all but impossible in recent days, but her family knows they are struggling to get food.

“The Russians destroyed everything,” Alisa said.

Daniela said the war has been hard on families because the men must stay and fight while the women and children try to flee the fighting and bombing.

Daniela and her family in the United States are extremely worried about their relatives in Ukraine.

“You don’t know if they are dead or alive, or where they are,” she said.

She said the funds raised at the school will focus on helping children affected by the war.

“They don’t understand what’s going on,” Daniela said.

As students approached the table where the Ukraine items were being sold, the Ryan Gloyer Middle School orchestra played “The Great Gate of Kyiv” on their stringed instruments.

Small Ukrainian flags attached to the musicians’ bows rose and fell as they played.

“I just feel like people in Ukraine don’t deserve what is happening right now and we should support them in any way possible,” said seventh-grader Raegan Schwartz, who bought a blue necklace at the table. “It’s a really sweet idea and a great way to help.”

Her friend and classmate Paige Damico also wore a blue bead necklace she bought at the fundraiser.

“It’s a really good idea,” Paige said. “It’s nice to see our school coming together.”

Olivia Pontius, a seventh-grader, helped sell the fundraiser items on Friday.

“I feel like kids in Ukraine should have more support than they’re getting and I want them to know we care and we’re here for them,” Olivia said.

An emotional Tabatha Karman, an art teacher at the school, hugged each of the four students who organized the fundraiser and offered them her love and support.

“They have such a strength and a hope,” Karman said. “They are teaching us.”

Babusci said the final amount raised from the event will be presented to UNICEF in memory of Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, the U.S. Army Special Forces soldier for whom the school was named.

He said the motto of the Green Berets, of which Gloyer was a member, translates to “To free the oppressed.”

“There is a very natural connection between him and this cause,” Babusci said.

Lasya Chivukula, a seventh-grader and member of the orchestra, said she hoped her violin communicated her empathy for the Ukrainian people as she played at the fundraiser on Friday.

Lasya summed up the thoughts of everyone who participated in the heartfelt fundraiser at Ryan Gloyer Middle School on the Seneca Valley secondary campus.

“It feels awesome,” she said.