The entire population of students and staff members at the Herricks Public Schools’ Searingtown Elementary School is united in a charge to help others. All are engaged in several initiatives intended to make an impact locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
Nov. 20 was observed as Service Day at Searingtown and featured a schoolwide assembly that celebrated the many efforts that are underway or on the horizon. Each grade level is giving back to the community through its own collaborative project.
Kindergartners decorated kindness rocks and made gifts for senior citizens, while the first grade is recycling dried markers through a program with Crayola. Second-grade students are celebrating community helpers with letters of gratitude, and third graders are assembling care packages for the homeless. The fourth grade collected coins and raised more than $500 for students in Kenya after reading “Neema’s Reason to Smile.” Fifth graders are collaborating on a Pennies for Patients read-a-thon to aid the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Strive students are collecting craft supply donations for hospitalized children.
Service Day is an annual effort that began several years ago and has continued and expanded. It ties in with Searingtown’s newly launched mission to “Go Global,” exposing students to global challenges and encouraging them to think about ways in which they can make a difference.
“While we are very proud of our strong academic curriculum, we find it equally important to cultivate compassion, empathy and personal responsibility,” said Principal Diana DeGiorgio. “Our annual Service Day is a natural extension of that work to help students actively participate in making a difference in their local communities and in the world.”
Submitted by Herricks Public Schools
