EASTPORT – They may live in Washington County, but area students say Hurricane Katrina has touched their hearts, now that they’ve seen the pictures of crying children and the faces of people who’ve lost everything.

Students in Union 104, comprising Eastport, Charlotte, Perry and Pembroke, plan to reach out to the students they’ve never met.

With the help of their instructors, they plan to adopt a rural school halfway across the country

“It is our belief that by establishing a link between Union 104 and a Southern school and keeping in constant touch with the students and staff members over the coming school year, that emotional and spiritual bridges will be established that will help in the mental healing process along with the replacement of school supplies and personal effects,” Union 104 Superintendent Art Wittine said Wednesday.

“We are unsure where this road will lead us, but we are sure it will be a very remarkable journey,” Wittine said.

The idea began with Wittine. He said a rural school seemed like a natural choice because it mirrored the rural life of Washington County.

“I think we could have a little bit more compassion and understanding for a school in a community in a rural area because that’s what we are,” he said.

The Red Cross and Salvation Army may be doing their part to attend to immediate needs, but the students plan to raise money for some long-term needs.

In the next few months, Union 104 students and staff members will hold various fundraising events to provide the money needed to buy supplies in rebuilding their classrooms, as well as to replace school-related personal items lost to the hurricane, the superintendent said.

Unsure how to select a school, Wittine contacted state Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry. Raye in turn enlisted the help of his former boss, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, to help identify a rural school in Louisiana or Mississippi.

“Once a school has been identified, a communication link will be established so that students and staff from the … schools in Union 104 can begin a dialogue with the students and staff in our adopted school,” Wittine said.

Asked if there was a dollar amount they hoped to raise, Wittine said the sky was the limit.

To learn about the program or to send a donation, contact the superintendent’s office at 853-2567 or send a check to Adopt a School Project, 102 High St., Eastport 04631.