ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ

Date Added: 9/16/2024

Students and staff across the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ Central School District honored Patriot Day on Sept. 11 through several remembrance ceremonies and displays.

ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ High School East held an inaugural ceremony at its 9/11 memorial outside of the building. Principal Lou Antonetti welcomed the crowd of students and staff before the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the choir sang the national anthem. Several student speakers stepped up to the podium and gave speeches about the importance of community, bravery and heroism. Members of the junior class explained the meaning behind High School East’s memorial and how the 25 flags surrounding it represent the 25 lives lost within the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ community. Those 25 names were then read aloud as students placed wreaths at the memorial.

Similarly, ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ High School North held its annual ceremony. Students, staff and local leaders gathered at the building’s memorial to commemorate the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as all those impacted by the tragic events. Students led the ceremony and invited their peers to read heartfelt essays they wrote in their English classes. The essays honored the first responders, heroes and citizens who were impacted, while also acknowledging the sense of patriotism and unity across the nation.

Many of the district’s elementary schools invited students to wear red, white and blue as a symbol of solidarity. At Tamarac Elementary School, students came together to sing patriotic songs and watch a flag-raising ceremony outside of the building.

Click here to view the HS East slideshow.

Click here to view the HS North slideshow.

Click here to view the Tamarac slideshow.

Date Added: 9/11/2024

Sagamore Middle School students in ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ are starting the school year with a lesson on kindness. During grade-level assemblies, students watched a video about the butterfly effect, or the idea that a single butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the world can create a hurricane on the other side. In the video, the theory was applied to acts of kindness. Students witnessed how a small act in North Carolina led to two young girls passing on kindness to a village in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

After watching the video, students were encouraged to write down the ways they would spread kindness and create a kindness “hurricane” at Sagamore. Students wrote their ideas on butterfly-shaped Post-it notes, which were then put on display in the hallway to remind students to keep kindness at the forefront throughout the school year.

Here are some of the ideas shared by eighth grade students:

Charlotte F. – “I’m going to spread a hurricane by making sure everyone is feeling equal because no matter how someone learns or dresses, everyone should be treated equally.”

Avery T. – “I’m going to make a hurricane at Sagamore by being kind to everyone and waving at someone in the hallway, or even just saying hi to them, because that may seem little, but it could make someone’s day.”

Kendall B. – “I’ll start my hurricane at Sagamore by if someone is sitting by themselves or if they have no one to sit with, you can ask them to sit with and your friends so that they can become friends with you guys.”

Aaliyah H. – “I’m going to spread my hurricane by holding the door open for people and making people feel good because even if they’re different, we’re all the same in the end.”

Ben D. – “I’m going to spread my hurricane by helping people in the halls with their lockers and helping them find their classes.”

John B. – “I’m going to start a hurricane at Sagamore by helping people out with their homework and classwork.”

Maliha A. – “I’m going to start a hurricane at Sagamore by making sure others feel comfortable with the way you treat them. If you talk to someone with excitement and they’re not used to it, it could make them feel uncomfortable, so just making sure they’re okay with how you talk to them.”