Schools bring arts, community service to borough for American Education Week

For the New Providence School District, there is no better way to celebrate the 89th annual American Education Week than hosting food drives, dinners and live performances.

This week's theme, "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility," is part of the National Education Association's goal to get America to not only celebrate public education in the country through activities ranging from arts to community service, but to provide students with good-quality public schools.

For the borough, the goal is to show the community what its public schools are all about and to get parents more engaged in students' education.

"I think it's more or less an opportunity for the community, particularly the parents, to see what's happening in the classrooms," New Providence Superintendent David M. Miceli said.

Kicking off with a Grandparents' Day for its first and second graders, Salt Brook Elementary School begins its celebration of American Education week today with a breakfast and school band performance for the grandparents, said Salt Brook Elementary School Principal Jeannie Maier.

The grandparents will also have the opportunity to visit classrooms to get a feel for what their grandchildren experience each day, Maier said.

"I think it's great because I think that the families are big partners in their children's education," she said. "For them to be able to come in and see what they're children are doing … it really helps the children see the parents care about their education and it really helps us."

Allen W. Roberts Elementary School will also be hosting Grandparents Day his week.

The Salt Brook school will also hold parent night for all grades tonight and tomorrow evening, where parents will have the opportunity to see the work their children have done so far, Maier said.

For the entire week, Salt Brook students, staff and faculty will hold a food drive to benefit the New Providence Community Service Association and a book fair, which will run from today until Thursday, she said.

"The food will benefit New Providence families," Maier said.

A book fair will also take place at Allen W. Roberts Elementary School Wednesday and Thursday.

As for New Providence High School, the students hold true to its traditions, participating in its annual Intergeneration Senior Citizens' Day, which has been the school's tradition for about ten years, said Paul Casarico, New Providence High School Principal.

Students in the home economics class will cook a Thanksgiving dinner for the senior citizens Thursday, and senior citizens will have the chance to visit the classrooms as well as tune into a performance by the school's music department, Casarico said.

The visitors are also welcome to stay for the dress rehearsal of New Providence High School's Thanksgiving play, he said.

"It gives [the students] an opportunity to give back to the local senior citizens who provided — in one way or another —what we have in the high school," Casarico said. "It's a small way of saying thank you."

Miceli said American Education Week is a perfect time for faculty to engage with their students and for students to learn the value of community service.

"I think it's another opportunity for some of them to do these kinds of things," he said. "It benefits the community members because they get to see what's going on in the schools … I think on both ends, it's exposure."

American Education Week ends this Friday, and is sponsored by the National Education Association, U.S. Department of Education and several national organizations, including the National PTA, according to the NEA website.