Bob Rogan thanks Seniors from Forest Hills High School for toy donations.

Just a block away from each other, Forestdale and Forest Hills High School often seem like separate worlds. Over 3400 hundred students attend the high school, while families converge on the Forestdale campus from all over Queens—yet rarely do the two groups intersect.

That all changes around the holiday season, when students and teachers at Forest Hills High spearhead a gift drive for Forestdale families. This year, 25 high school seniors stopped by Forestdale to drop off ten boxes of gifts for infants and children. They raised the funds for the brand-new presents from their friends, teachers and family members.

One senior, Shoful Alom, said, “I didn’t even know Forestdale existed until this month.  Now I know that I can really help the children in some way.”

Typical of polyglot Queens, the group included speakers of Polish, Russian, French, Thai, Spanish and Italian.  The students belong to various school clubs, including Future Business Leaders of America, College Now, and the Virtual Enterprise Project, in which students design and model an Internet-based business.  They were accompanied by Robert Suydam, the faculty advisor for the Future Business Leaders of America club.

The gifts were distributed at Forestdale’s holiday party on December 10. Thank you, Forest Hills High, for your caring and commitment to the Queens community!