American Red Cross Blood Services of the Penn-Jersey Region has designated George School best in its class for student participation in blood drives during the 2003-2004 academic year. Compared to ninety-three high schools in the Penn-Jersey Region that have comparable numbers of eligible student blood donors, George School has achieved the highest percentage of participation. This is the second year in a row that George School has achieved this honor.

Seniors Nadia Eghbal, Melissa Friedman, and Liz Grossman will accept the award at the Penn-Jersey Region's Seventh Annual All-High School Conference on Thursday, October 21, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penn-Jersey Region, one of thirty-six American Red Cross regional blood centers, serves southeastern Pennsylvania and central and southern New Jersey.

A committee of George School student volunteers works with the American Red Cross to organize three blood drives on campus each year. The students solicit and schedule donors prior to each drive. During each drive, a student volunteer escorts each donor through the process. "They work really hard to keep the participation of donors up," said Joanne Moeller-Moon, who has worked as the faculty advisor for the group for the past two years.

"We were so thrilled," Liz Grossman, current co-chair of the committee, said of the award. "It's not something you think of getting an award for." Nadia Eghbal, who will serve as site coordinator this year, said that the group's efficiency has a lot to do with their success. "We work really well together as a team," she said. Melissa Friedman, also a current co-chair of the committee, said that the school community's welcoming attitude towards their efforts played an important role as well. The next blood drive is scheduled for November 2.

About George School
George School, founded in 1893 by members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), teaches that each person shares a responsibility for helping to make the world a better place. The student body is diverse, representing twenty states and thirty foreign countries and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, academic, and economic backgrounds. Each year more than $4 million in need-based financial aid is provided to eligible students.