Theme of the Year
Imagine
Lynbrook Seniors Dominate Class Night 2019
Family, friends and community members packed the Lynbrook High School gymnasium for the school’s longstanding Class Night tradition on March 15. During the anticipated evening event, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors showcased their best acting, singing and dancing for skits fit for the 2019 theme, “Home is Where the Heart is.”
With creative costumes, sets, props and the incorporation of talented student-musicians, each grade level impressed audience members. The freshmen took on “Shrek” to tell their own story of home, while the sophomores portrayed the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Juniors took audience members through an under the sea adventure with a skit channeling Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and the seniors successfully represented Muppet characters with their own version of “The Muppet Show.”
Each grade was judged on five separate criteria: skits, scenery, costumes, box and banner. Seniors were crowned the 2019 Class Night champions, followed by the juniors, sophomores and freshmen, respectively.
Lynbrook North Middle School Presents The Lion King Jr.
Lynbrook North Middle School drama club members took a walk on the wild side as they presented Disney’s “The Lion King Jr.” for loved ones on March 8 and 9. From the Academy Award-winning film “The Lion King,” the stage adaptation tells the story of a young lion prince named Simba, played by Liam Mylan and Daniel Levine, whose father Mufasa, played by Andrew Schiller, is killed by the wicked uncle Scar, played by Jack Ceglie. Audiences journey through Simba’s life of love, loss and fight to serve his new role as king.
VIDEO: Kindergarten Students Celebrate Community Helpers Day
Students and staff at the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center celebrated their annual Community Helpers Day in style, dressing as different professionals on Feb. 1. This is the second year that the school has embraced Community Helpers Day, a fun way to connect to the students’ social studies curriculum about community.
LHS Junior Shares the Story of Lynbrook
Kindergartners in Patricia Schroeder and Jessica Eitingon’s class at the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center received a special visit from Girl Scout Ambassador Emma Lenz, a junior from Lynbrook High School on Jan. 25. Emma wrote, illustrated and published the children’s book “Memories of Lynbrook” and started sharing her book with kindergarten students at the school that she once attended.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA. As part of her Gold Award project to receive this prestigious honor, Emma created the book and was required 12-20 hours of in-person presentation time. “Memories of Lynbrook,” which was printed by IngramSpark, is now available online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and took Emma about a year and a half to complete. The book focuses on a young girl, Georgie, who looks through her Grandma Pearsall’s scrapbook of Lynbrook memories. Georgie’s grandmother shares true facts about the town, including the history of Lynbrook schools, important figures, monuments and more.
Emma conducted historical research online and at the Lynbrook Public Library to learn more about her town and incorporate her findings into her story. She also worked with the Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook.
“My strengths are art and history and with this book, I’m combining both of them together,” Emma said. “I wanted to do a project that would impact my community in a positive way.”
The kindergartners listened intently as Emma read her children’s book. Claire Lenz, Emma’s grandmother and a former educator herself, beamed with pride as she watched her granddaughter read to the class.
“I’m very proud of Emma,” she said. “She is a delight, very talented and she was so relaxed. I thought she did beautifully with the children.”
After the reading, the students had the opportunity to ask Emma questions. She spoke about the writing process, when the book was finally completed and growing up in Lynbrook herself.
“I hope that the students learned more about the history of Lynbrook and learned that our community has so much to offer,” she said.
After the reading, each student received a worksheet and illustrated their own favorite memory of Lynbrook. Emma will visit each kindergarten class in the next few weeks to share her children’s book. She will also generously be giving a copy of the book to each class in the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center.
Great job, Emma!
Learning with Longhouses
Fourth-graders in Christine Castellano’s class at Marion Street Elementary School constructed longhouses with their classmates as part of their unit on Native Americans. Great job!
Kindergartners Build Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays
Kindergarten students at the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center got into the holiday spirit by building gingerbread houses with their peers and loved ones on Dec. 14.
Using empty drink cartons, the kindergartners used graham crackers, frosting, candy canes and more to personalize their own gingerbread house. The students then took their tasty treats home to enjoy with their family during the holidays.
Fostering a Connected School Community
Students at Lynbrook South Middle School and West End Elementary School recently participated in Start with Hello Week, a national event organized by Sandy Hook Promise to teach students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other and the community.
During the week, middle school students participated in an array of different activities to promote inclusion. To kick off the week, students lined the hallways to greet their peers as they entered the building for the day and each received a sticker with their name on it to wear all day. The week continued with activities such as Human Bingo in physical education class to help students get acquainted with one another, a photo booth to enjoy with new friends and peers, a game called All My Friends to learn about others’ interests and a three legged race.
“The goal of Start With Hello Week is to teach kids how to approach and engage someone they don’t know well or just met,” said Principal Joseph Wiener. “Through games, challenges and conversations throughout the week, we are giving children tools to strengthen our community by being more inclusive. We watched students throughout the week talking, playing, and laughing with kids they may not have otherwise engaged with. We will continue this effort through our Social and Emotional Literacy initiative throughout the year.”
Students at West End Elementary School also embraced the week with their own activities. Students learned how to make a difference with their peers in simple, fun and impactful ways.
“A goal of this week is to empower students to create a culture of inclusiveness and connectedness,” said West End social worker Sandra Gettenberg. “We want to make sure that all students feel seen, accepted and safe.”
Teachers focused on how to recognize and reduce social isolation by having their classes participate in ice-breaker activities. Others read books filled with learning opportunities to help foster inclusivity in school and some students learned how to say hello in languages other than English.
Creating a “Whirled” of Peace
The sun shined down on Marion Street Elementary School as students, faculty, members of central administration and families gathered to celebrate International Day of Peace with a Pinwheels for Peace ceremony on Sept. 21. Coordinated by music teacher Kara Boulay and art teacher Patricia Wierzbicki, each student in the school colored a pinwheel, 450 total, which were then assembled by teachers and staff members.
The students carried their pinwheels outside for the special ceremony and stood around the school’s Peace Pole. Principal Theresa Macchia opened the event by thanking everyone for joining in celebration and spoke about the significance of the day which is recognized around the world to acknowledge the power of peace.
On the front steps of the school, Mrs. Macchia read the book “Imagine” by John Lennon, sharing words of world peace. Following the reading, Ms. Boulay led the students in song as they performed “A Million Dreams” from the film, “The Greatest Showman.” The students then placed their colorful pinwheels in the ground together.
“They will blow in the wind to remind all of us that we are dreamers and that we do want the world to be a better place,” said Mrs. Macchia.