After learning all about the first Thanksgiving and traditions that are still celebrated today, the first grade students in Rose Clark’s class and Teressa Brown’s class joined together for Mayflower munchies before the holiday break. Each of the snacks the students enjoyed together was representative of the first Thanksgiving. Soup crackers reminded students that the Pilgrims didn’t have a lot to eat, while the stick pretzels reminded them of the logs used to build their homes. Mini marshmallows were reminiscent of the snowy winters the Pilgrims had to endure, while the goldfish crackers represented how the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to use fish as fertilizer. Fruity cereal reminded students of the fruits and berries the Pilgrims ate to survive in the new land. 

Thanksgiving Day isn’t complete without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held each year in New York City. The fourth grade students in Jennifer Rosario’s class at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School were challenged to replicate the parade floats and its route through the city.

Working in small groups, students let their creativity shine as they designed balloons to replicate those that one would see along the parade route. The next step was designing the parade route around Manhattan and using technology to move them. Coding their Ozobots, the floats lined up in formation and paraded around Santa Claus in the middle.  

To recognize many accomplishments of its student-athletes both on and off the field, the Copiague School District held its 20th annual Fall Sports Awards Night on Nov. 12 at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School. Sponsored by the Booster Club, student-athletes in gymnastics, girls soccer, boys soccer, field hockey, girls tennis, volleyball, cross-country and football were recognized for their dedication to their sports by coaches, Copiague School District administrators and members of the board of education.

Throughout the night, coaches praised the student-athletes for their success and distributed individual awards, including the Coaches’ Award, Most Improved and the MVP award, to worthy receipients. Seven special memorial awards were handed out to outstanding athletes for demonstrating leadership on and off the field. Jaheim Garcia (cross-country) was presented with the Christopher Urban Award, Jaime Kister (gymnastics) was the recipient of the Dolores Sandefur Award and Patric Gudel (boys soccer) was presented with the Richard Lombardo Award. The Barbara Day Award was given to Imani Ruddock (field hockey), Kaylah Roberts (volleyball) received the Debra Tekosky Award, Merari Saravia Canales (girls soccer) was presented with the Michael S. Cohen Award and Gabriela Rivas (girls soccer) was the recipient of the Brittany Walsh Memorial Award. 

Second graders in Mrs. Csorny’s class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School participated in a turkey disguise videoconference with a class from Freeport. Students were given a grid of turkey projects that the other class made. Students asked “yes” or “no” questions to eliminate or identify which turkey was “caught” by the other class. The videoconference enriched the learning process promoting problem-solving skills, inductive/deductive reasoning and communication skills. 

December’s districtwide topic is civic engagement. Check back each week for information on the following topics.