United in their orange attire, students and staff at Lockhart Elementary School in the Massapequa School District made a visible commitment to acceptance, kindness and inclusion on Oct. 16. These are values reinforced at the school every day, but especially on Unity Day, a national anti-bullying initiative from Pacer.org.
In the days leading up to Unity Day, students participated in several initiatives. They pledged their commitment to a bully-free school by signing their names to a large letter in “Be Kind” and tying orange ribbons on their backpacks.
Students contributed to a “If you knew me, you’d know” paper heart collage. Each student wrote one fact about himself of herself that couldn’t be ascertained just by looking at them. Social worker Amanda Pusateri said that the goal of the project was to remind students that there is much more to people than what they see on the outside and to avoid making assumptions. All of the orange hearts were hung together on a bulletin board.
On the blacktop behind the school, students grabbed orange chalk and covered the space with positive messages and affirmations. The entire Lockhart student body, along with administrators, teachers and support staff, came together near the end of the day on Oct. 16 to form a giant peace sign on the back lawn.
“Our goal is to spread a message of kindness, accepting others and including everyone,” Ms. Pusateri said. “We incorporated activities that would bring our students together.”
She added that Unity Day empowered youngsters to take an active role in fostering a positive school climate. It was also a good chance for them to get to know each other better and develop new friendships.
Photos courtesy of the Massapequa School District
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