McKinley Third Graders Take Walking Tour Of Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ - Third graders at McKinley Elementary School made all of Westfield their classroom by taking a walking field trip of Westfield with visits to the Westfield Memorial Library and Town Hall.

First stop on Oct. 23 was the library, where youth services librarian Molly Adams gave the students a tour that included a discussion of the Summer Reading Program, the difference between fiction and non-fiction, the Dewey Decimal System, and other topics.

“This was an important experience for our students,” said third grade teacher Brendan Hickey. "Students who visit the public library with their families have healthy reading habits that transcend academics and encourage them to be lifelong learners.”

Then it was on to Town Hall where Councilwoman Dawn Mackey invited the group to enjoy a small scale model railroad with representations of major Westfield landmarks, past and present.

The exhibitions, on display during AddamsFest, were provided by the Model Railroad Club of Union County, Central Jersey N-Trak, and the Gersten family. Also on-hand was Westfield Chief of Police Christopher Battiloro who, with some of his officers, gave the youngsters a tour of the police department.

“We are pleased that this trip gave our students a chance to interact with Ms. Mackey, a local
government official,” said Hickey. “Chief Battiloro also answered all of our questions and
showed us many of the resources that our local police use to keep us safe.”

Hickey called the visit with local law enforcement “extremely positive” for the students.

“We are sincerely grateful for everyone who made this a special day of school for our third graders,” he said.

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