The Garden City School District recently celebrated Unity Day on Oct. 22, a day dedicated to standing against bullying and promoting kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Students and staff across the district wore orange and participated in activities designed to create a safer, more supportive school community.
At Garden City Middle School, the day began with student and teacher volunteers lining the entrance to form a tunnel, greeting peers with cheers, balloons and streamers. Band and media students added to the excitement by performing and recording the morning’s festivities, while volunteers handed out wristbands to arriving students.
Throughout the day, GCMS students engaged in a variety of activities, including signing the No Place for Hate Pledge, completing icebreaker exercises to strengthen connections with classmates, participating in an anti-bullying Upstander Idol Contest, and working through a team-building Escape the Classroom activity centered on kindness and empathy. During lunch, students enjoyed a virtual trivia game and later in the day learned about the 30 Days of Kindness Challenge and a Mindful Minute, which promote daily acts of kindness and reflection.
Students also attended assemblies with special guests, including Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, who presented the S.T.O.P. program, Dr. Dan Fasano, who shared GC Cares with strategies for promoting inclusion and having an action plan, and author Jen Calonita, who spoke about the importance of kindness.
At Garden City High School, students participated in a tabling event outside the cafeteria, where students were able to stop by and write messages of kindness, acceptance and inclusion. SADD and the PTA provided corresponding giveaways to reinforce the positive messages.
At the elementary level, Stratford School students watched a read-aloud presented by social worker Ms. Kristyn DeMartinis and completed follow-up activities to reflect on its message. Students further engaged in “What Would You Do?” and “Learn with the Crew” scenarios, exploring empathy, problem solving and positive decision making.
At Stewart School, students pledged to “Stand Up Against Bullying” by signing a pledge and read “The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig, which began discussions about including others and creating a more inclusive school community.
Both Stratford and Stewart students also participated in Project Connect by writing ways they make their school a safer and kinder place on strips of orange paper, which were then stapled together to create a kindness chain displayed in classrooms.
At the primary level, students at Hemlock School met with primary school social worker Mrs. Tracy Martinez to read “The Power of One” and learn how small acts of kindness can affect others. Similarly, primary school psychologist Ms. Dina Mulstay read “The Not-So-Friendly Friend” and led an activity with students at Homestead School. At Locust School, students and teachers lined up outside to spell out the word KIND, a visual representation of their commitment to promoting respect and empathy.
Comments are closed.