In the weeks and months following Superstorm Sandy, students throughout the district united to help those affected by the devastating storm. At each elementary school in particular, students participated in a variety of projects.
Barnum Woods Elementary School adopted the Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School in the Island Park School District, which took on several feet of water in the lower-level classrooms during the storm. As a result, the school was forced to relocate 400 students to the middle school. During the month of January, the Barnum Woods student council is hosting a campaign to raise money to replace Hegarty Elementary School’s musical instruments and leveled literature books.
At Bowling Green Elementary School, students expressed their appreciation to out-of-state service workers who left their families for days and weeks to assist the East Meadow community after the storm. Students in grades one through five wrote letters to the workers employed by P&T Electric in Illinois, Lucas Tree Experts in Maine and Lakeland Electric in Florida for cutting down fallen trees and helping families restore power to their homes.
The older Bowling Green students used a computer to write their letters and then decorated each with a photo. Some of the students’ sentiments included appreciation for removal of trees from their roofs, the ability to watch their favorite television shows, and sympathy for those who were separated from their own children back at home. The activity not only reinforced the students’ writing skills, but also emphasized many personal attributes highlighted in the school’s character education program.
Prior to the holiday season, McVey Elementary School also assisted in the relief effort. The school’s K-Kids sponsored a collection for needy families in the area, some of whom were affected by the storm. The children developed a “Snowman of Kindness” bulletin board which held paper snowmen listing the needs of families in the community. Under the direction of K-Kids adviser Deirdre O’Regan and social worker Theresa Arnone, students chose a snowman, bought the listed toy or household item, and delivered their gift to the holding bin. This year, nine McVey families were provided with gifts for the holidays.
In addition, students at Parkway Elementary School got in the holiday spirit by launching Operation Sandy Claus. They collected enough school supplies to fill over 500 stockings for students enrolled at West Elementary School in Long Beach. Operation Sandy Claus was organized by the student council and students involved in the Presidential Service Program. Pencil cases, highlighters, index cards, glue sticks, crayons, markers, pens and notepads were stuffed into mesh stockings for the students affected by Superstorm Sandy.
Meanwhile, Meadowbrook Elementary School students and staff held a “Day of Giving” to help families still recovering. Under the direction of social worker Margherita Diglio and student council adviser Laura Baez, students collected baby supplies, batteries, personal hygiene and dental products, pet supplies, cleaning products, blankets and clothes. The clothes were then delivered to Hicks Nursery in Jericho, which was a drop-off site for Long Island Cares. Long Island Cares then distributed these items along the hardest-hit south shore communities.
Ms. Diglio remarked that the students came together in this time of crisis and helped others who are in serious need of assistance. “The Long Island Cares workers told me that in the number of years they have worked for the organization, they have never seen a school give such an overwhelming amount of items during a time of crisis,” she stated.
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