Latin Club Shows Support for Local Animal Refuge

The Latin Club took this Halloween to support the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI) by collecting items for animals in need.

RBARI is Bergen County’s leading no kill, no profit shelter. Its mission is to find homes for the abandoned, abused and unwanted animals of Northern New Jersey. RBARI offers shelter and medical treatment to the animals in need, all with the final goal of finding loving homes for each and every one.

For many years now, GRHS and RBARI have teamed up in order to help the animals of Bergen County and beyond. This event has a special Halloween catch, as the students coming to the event are taken on a journey to the underworld. The mythological three headed dog “Cerberus”, the guardian of the underworld, requires offerings from all who wish to participate. The offerings can take the form of cat/dog food, cat litter, pet toys, or any other items that could be of service to pets. On October 26, another trip down below took place, and Latin Club adviser Mr. Brian Montalbano praised the ongoing success of this event.

“We get some chew toys, some general stuff like paper towels, we had some food, both cat and dog food, some stuff for them to play with. Anything that can be helpful to pets can be donated,” said Montalbano. “You’re allowed to come enjoy the event, whether or not you’ll be contributing anything. We then collect everything that has been donated, and get it delivered over to RBARI, so the animals can get the benefit of our generosity.”

Mr. Montalbano has overseen two of these events during his years at Glen Rock, but he has already developed a strong liking to the event. “To me, I really like how this is our first event, and our first event of the year is giving back. It’s great that this has been passed on to me, as a way to help RBARI. I’m always looking for more ways to use the Latin Club as a way to generate funds for good causes.”

Latin Club consul, Richard Beezley, was impressed with this year’s event. “As consul, I led the organization of the event along with Mr. Montalbano,” said Beezley. “I think it’s great that a language club can make a difference on a wider scale than just the high school. I love animals, so it feels good to be able to help them.”

The proconsul (vice president) of the Latin Club, Tyler Richardson, was impressed with the event. “As the Proconsul, I worked with the rest of the club officers, as well as Mr. Montalbano to organize the event. Julia Piermatteo did much of the work,” said Richardson. “It is an important tradition that we have that builds community. I’ve always thought that it was an important part of the Latin Club.”

Montalbano took over this event, and the Latin Club, from former Latin teacher Mrs. Dagiau. Fortunately, his transition has been an easy one. “I’m always overwhelmed when I ask for donations from the students here, because I do find that they are willing to give. I like to point out that I hope people don’t think that it’s exclusive to those who take latin, and if you’re interested and like the culture, which is a lot of what we do at our club, I encourage anyone who has an interest to join up.”

“It’s always very heartwarming to know that students, and their parents as well, are grounded enough to know that when you have, you can give back,” Montalbano said.