Ossining Students' Strength, Resilience Shine in Capsule Project

Each year at Roosevelt School, fifth-graders complete a research and advocacy project on a topic or cause they are passionate about, such as ending homelessness and preserving endangered species. The Capstone Project culminates with students showcasing their work in June.

That was the plan this year too until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Staff members were concerned advocacy efforts could put children at risk, so they re-envisioned Capstone and turned it into the Capsule Project.

“For me, the whole idea was to find a way to encapsulate this moment in time,” said Principal Michelle Grier, who developed the project with literacy coach Eleana DeLuna. “It’s really an avenue for expressing what they’re experiencing right now and to see themselves as resilient and strong enough to overcome any difficulty, even a global pandemic.”

It was important to acknowledge that the pandemic has had a huge impact on students’ lives, Ms. DeLuna said. “We really wanted to be more proactive, to make this a meaningful experience and to really guide their perspective on this experience and shift that more to a resilience and overcoming message.”

The whole school -- 379 students –participated in the Capsule Project, and families embraced it. The fifth-graders spent five weeks from early May to mid-June exploring through their medium of choice their “Connections with Family,” “Connections with Others,” “Connections with World” and “Connections with Self.” Submissions included graphic design, poetry, realistic fiction, journals, dances, musical performances, videos and more.

On June 17, Roosevelt School presented the Capsule Project: A Collective Message of Overcoming and Resilience. More than 100 guests attended the virtual event, which fifth-grader Dimitrios Siva emceed. One student from each classroom presented a project. Ms. Grier announced that students would receive a yearbook with photos and an example of everyone’s Capsule work.

Students’ topics varied greatly, from writing a pandemic diary through the eyes of a dog to creating a dance video to express the three strongest pandemic emotions – overwhelmed, bored and happy. One student expressed his anger about racism and police violence through a video. Dimitrios used Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” as the soundtrack for a video congratulating everyone on getting through the months of distance learning successfully.

For the first assignment, students considered what builds unity in their family and how family members have helped them overcome challenges. Camila Godoy’s quarantine journal included details and photos of a trip to the Walkway Over the Hudson, an Easter egg hunt, practicing yoga in the backyard, and her birthday celebration.

“My family is unique because we always have each other’s backs, we always are together and when we’re not, we can’t stand it,” she said.

In an earlier virtual meeting to discuss projects, fifth-grader Alexandria Ward said her “Connections with Family” project was a realistic fiction story called “The Truth Be Told,” about estranged twins. The girls “kind of didn’t want to be twins,” she said. “So their whole life, they weren’t together. Then, during the pandemic, it brought them closer and they realized how they should have been twins all along.”

Max Miller wrote journal entries about visiting his grandparents in New Jersey and locally for “Connections to Family.” Everyone wore a mask and stayed more than 6 feet apart. They talked about what they would be doing if it there was no pandemic.

“I was kind of like desperate to be able to go into their house and stuff,” he said. “It was also still just good to be able to see them.”

Max had looked forward to fifth grade in part because of the Capstone Project at the end of the year. “Even though we can’t do that, I’m still really happy we got to do something,” he said.

The second week was about “Connections to Others,” during which students contemplated the value of strong relationships, along with how others have inspired them, or how they can inspire others.

Max Lazarowitz learned to play “Lean on Me” by the late Bill Withers on piano. Close friends and family members took turns singing the lyrics during a Zoom session as Max performed the piece.

“During this hard time, my friends and family have been helping me get through this,” Max wrote. “The words in the song represent how we all need to support each other; I feel lucky that I have such good friends and family.”

For the third week, the fifth-graders tackled “Connections to the World.” They considered experiences that have connected them to the world; big or small changes in the world that they have noticed; or changes they would like to bring about in the world.

Kayla Hutchinson wrote a poem about the crazy new world that COVID-19 has created – one with bluer skies and less litter, but with people getting sick every day because some don’t follow the rules. For that assignment, students considered how they connect to the world, changes they have noticed or changes they would like to see.

“Drive by celebrations are happening, sounds very happy right?” she wrote. “WELL CORONAVIRUS IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD DAY AND NIGHT.”

Melissa Abzun wrote about clothes her family donated to a family whose father died of COVID-19 that week. “It makes me feel happy that I helped out a family that was in poor conditions right now with the pandemic,” she said.

In her “Connections to World” presentation, written in Spanish, Michelle Pera said she was connecting more than she had before the pandemic, from reading and playing games to video chats with friends and watching television. “Remember, we are going to get through this pandemic,” she wrote. “Nothing will stop us.”

The final assignment was “Connections to Self,” in which students captured moments when they had persevered, learned lessons, or showed their own strength and resilience.

During the Capsule Celebration, Lerissa Johnson read two poems she wrote for that week. “Courage isn’t a substitute for fear but the ability to move past things. Courage is what I have. Even through my ups and downs,” her piece “Courage” read in part.

Melissa Abzun created an informational presentation about how music – particularly Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny – “helps me through these tough times.”

Principal Grier and Ms. DeLuna and Roosevelt’s teachers are proud of what the fifth-graders accomplished.

At the end of the Capsule celebration, Ms. Grier thanked teachers and staff for their willingness to embrace the Capsule Project and innovate. Every instructor supported students’ work, including the art, music, STEAM and physical education teachers.

“We thought about what writing experience would be most impactful for your students, we created a plan, teachers collaborated to develop daily lessons and, after working with students over a number of weeks … what you see here tonight is innovation – giving students an authentic platform to share their voices, empathize with, inspire and encourage each other,” she said.

For her final assignment, Sarah Solganick played “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” from “Annie” on the piano. The song “is a great representation of how we should feel now.”

“Although the pandemic has been difficult for everyone in many ways, I found ways to persevere and push forward, hoping for better days,” she said.