By Kaye Ross

Gunn High School junior Emma Dietrich sells baked goods outside the Spangenberg Theatre on Open Mic Night to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

From coin drives to car washes, students in the area have contributed generously to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. Some classrooms have helped particular families, and one school is providing free tuition to a 5-year-old who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina.

Here are just a few efforts by students at local schools:

Covington Elementary

Egan Junior High

Loyola Elementary

Montclaire Elementary

One of the children in school has relatives in the New Orleans area, and one classroom made cards to send with toys and clothing to that family.

Third-graders who participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF while they’re out getting candy will contribute half the money they raise to disaster relief.

St. Nicholas

The girl will be in school at no cost for several months to a year, said Michelle Sklar, director of stewardship and development.

The school also raised $1,300 Sept. 2 at its monthly school Mass. The money will be sent to two congregations in Louisiana that lost churches in the hurricane.

Gunn High

Los Altos High

Mountain View High

Felitia Hancock and some of her seniors in civics and economics class came up with an idea to gather 40 boxes of school supplies for a school in northern Louisiana where many Katrina survivors were transferred. The teens are donating pencils, binders and other supplies, and teachers and staff will pay shipping fees.

There will be enough supplies for at least 200 schoolchildren, and 10 teachers at the Louisiana school will get their own goodie boxes.

Pinewood

Pinewood had raffles through September, and grades nine through 12 donated their time for a car wash Sept. 17. The seventh grade held a bake sale at school, and there was a Fresh Choice night from which 20 percent of all dinner proceeds will go to the relief fund.

The kindergarten through second-grade campus held a penny drive, and the third through sixth grades had a coin drive. Students were asked to forgo dessert and place the money they would have spent on the treat in a box near the lunch line.

St. Joseph

Money raised at a dance in late September will help buy backpacks for a special project by each class to fill the packs with school supplies - and joke books - for Katrina survivors.

Students plan to sell wristbands with “Katrina ‘05″ in the school colors to raise more money.