HAVERHILL - You might say that Christopher Powers is walking in the footsteps of students at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.

A few months ago, Whittier students collected more than 50 pairs of shoes for children in Iraq. While that project was going on, Powers, 16, a Haverhill High School junior, was already several months into the planning stages of his own shoe collection.

In December, one of his relatives told him about a church in Danvers that had collected shoes for children in Iraq. Christopher was intrigued by the idea and persuaded his Student Council to launch a drive of its own.

"A lot of people have extra shoes they don't wear, and from what I've heard Iraq children don't have any shoes," said Powers, a member of Haverhill High's National Honor Society. "You see them on the news walking around in their bare feet."

Powers' mother, Elizabeth Powers, encouraged her son to carry out the shoe drive, saying it was a worthwhile effort.

"I told him to go for it," she said, "and to try to get some of his fellow students to help."

The trio of Powers, Student Council president and senior Dana Landers, and Student Council treasurer and senior Justin Thompson made plans for collecting at least 100 pairs of shoes and sneakers. They got permission from school officials to place collection sacks in all 100 homerooms during the month of May.

"Trying to publicize the drive was a challenge," Powers said. "A lot of kids said it was a good idea but didn't bring in any shoes. But as we put up more posters, kids started bringing shoes in."

His team reached its goal by the end of the month, and all of the shoes and sneakers are now at Powers' house waiting to be shipped.

The next and most significant hurdle to overcome was the cost of shipping what they collected overseas. The shipping costs were a shocker to Powers and his team.

"We were told it would cost us as much as $1,000 to send what we collected to Iraq," he said.

So Powers did some online research and learned that students at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., sponsor what they call their Iraqi Kids Project and that he could get his shoes and sneakers shipped overseas at no cost. All he had to do was deliver what his team had collected to the college.

"Me and my dad will drive to the college on June 24 to deliver the shoes," Christopher Powers said. "I liked doing this project and might do it again next year. Kids in Iraq probably have nothing, and we have so much."

PG1 BOX

Collecting shoes for Iraqi children

When: During May

Where collected: Haverhill High School

How: Collection sacks placed in all 100 homerooms

What: Used shoes and sneakers in good condition, in children's and adult sizes

How shipped: Through the Iraqi Kids Project sponsored by students at Dartmouth College