Sewickley Academy trio's project raises money for livestock feed for animals in N.C. affected by Hurricane Helene

During the Christmas holiday break, Maria Sirianni thought the most joyous time of the year wasn’t so joyous for people in North Carolina.

They were still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which struck the mid-South in September, claiming 248 lives and causing widespread damage in seven states.

The storm’s historic rainfall led to severe flooding, particularly in low-lying areas, resulting in extensive damage to pastures and hay reserves. Farmers reported thousands of round bales of hay being washed away or rendered unusable due to prolonged submersion.

North Carolina suffered the heaviest losses.

Agricultural damage in the state exceeded $2.5 billion.

The senior at Sewickley Academy had an idea. What if there was a way to raise money to provide hay?

“I was talking to my mom about my idea, and then I talked with my friends about this idea becoming our senior project,” said Sirianni of Sewickley Heights. “We all have a connection with horses, and I felt like this could be something different. We wanted to do a senior project that could feel more meaningful and really help people.”

Sirianni’s idea came to life. She and classmates Skylar Nocito and Chiara Zeitler devised a plan for The Hay Way, a project to raise money to provide livestock feed for the animals of North Carolina farming families.

The money raised will help pay for hay for farmers in need.

The teens are collaborating with local dairy farmers Rob Waddell, wife Christine and son Josh Waddell, who own and operate Apple Shamrock Dairy Farms in Crawford County. The farm will provide an initial load being taken to the agricultural extension offices in North Carolina’s Henderson and Buncombe counties for horses as well as cattle.

“I feel like everybody obviously loves horses but cattle were also affected as well, and just the whole agricultural aspect of cattle in North Carolina got us thinking,” Sirianni said. “We felt connected because agriculture is so important in Pennsylvania.”

Sometimes when things happen, people forget about them and move on, the teens said.

“It’s shocking, especially still seeing pictures of what it was like before and after in North Carolina and how quickly we move on to other things,” said Sirianni, who has grown up with horses, chickens and a donkey and learned firsthand what it takes to care for animals.

The teens said the senior project they chose is more than just a requirement for graduation. It is something they want to do, they said.

It also represents the mission of Sewickley Academy.

On the school’s website, it reads: “Sewickley Academy inspires and educates students to engage their hearts, minds and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good.”

“Senior projects are centered around hearts, hands and minds, which is the school motto,” Sirianni said. “Everyone has to relate their project back to each of these ideas.”

Sirianni, Nocito and Zeitler have been coordinating with Lindsay Downs, the librarian for the school’s Hansen Library.

“The project encapsulates the vision of Sewickley Academy’s senior projects,” Downs said in an email. “Chiara, Maria and Skylar successfully combined their passion for horses with a meaningful way to fulfill the project’s requirement of engaging their hearts, hands and minds for the greater good.”

Mentoring the seniors is Ron Carlson, a Sewickley logistics professional and a friend of the Sirianni family. Carlson is the project’s adviser.

Knowing the three young women’s interest in horses — all three of the teens grew up riding — Carlson said in a statement that the unusual project is “something that resonated with the girls. It’s following your passion and good, creative thinking outside of the norm.”

They’ve learned a lot doing this project, said Zeitler of Edgeworth.

The three 18-year-olds said in states such as Pennsylvania, where farming is essential, disasters like what happened in North Carolina can drive up feed costs and strain local farmers. The teens are considering traveling to North Carolina and hope their project inspires others to reach out to people in need.

“We want to talk about the cause and raise awareness, said Nocito of Sewickley, who started riding horses as a child and whose sister, Ava, shares a love of horses. “This is so important.”

The teens created an information pamphlet with statistics about the damage, made a digital design, a logo and opened a Venmo account where people can donate.

Their senior project along with their classmates’ projects will be displayed at a fair at the school. Past projects included making a cookbook, fixing up a car and volunteering endeavors. The three said their goal is to devote 150 hours to the project.

Being raised around farmland and horses prompted their interest in this cause.

“Life is challenging for farming families in the best of times,” Sirianni said. “It’s only right that people who benefit from their work help out when a disaster threatens them.”

Once the storm passed, national attention shifted to the next big story, Nocito said. “But just because the rain stopped falling doesn’t mean the disaster has ended. Farm animals still need to be fed. Families have to get the farms back up and running.”

The need is particularly acute given that the federal government has ended its 100% match for the state’s recovery spending, they said.

An average, square hay bale can reach 8 feet in length and 4 feet in height and width. The flatbed tractor-trailer the young women are arranging should be able to carry 54 bales with a weight of several thousand pounds.

“This is a moment where Americans can show the real meaning of volunteerism,” said Zeitler, who grew up on a farm and shares her mom’s love of horses. “We’re hoping folks from the region come out to share in the effort.”

One aspect of the project is a fundraiser Sirianni, Nocito and Zeitler are hosting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 8 at the Sewickley Heights History Center, 1901 Glen Mitchell Road, Sewickley. Admission is $20.25, a nod to the students’ graduation year.

There will be food for sale. They will talk about the project and have a raffle.