Riverhead Elementary Schools Celebrate "Unity Day"

Photo courtesy of Riverhead Central School District

With encouragement from CAP (Riverhead Community Awareness Program) social worker Shannon Kutner and the Peacemakers CAP members, elementary students in the Riverhead Schools participated in National Unity Day by wearing orange to school last Wednesday, Oct. 22. That was the designated day everyone came together to “send one large orange message of support, hope and unity to those who have experienced bullying”. (Pacer.org)

Several different methodologies were used to bring home the concept of unity in each of the schools: 



Phillips Avenue Assistant Principal Alison Conroy read “DARE,” a book by Erin Frankel about how to stand up to bullies in school, to several of the classes at Phillips. Carlene Martinez, a bilingual 3rd grade teacher at Phillips, used her extraordinary communications skills. She had 100% participation in the wear orange challenge! Her entire class got the message and remembered to wear orange on Unity Day!



Lisa Bohleber, a kindergarten teacher at Roanoke, read “Have you Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud to her class and had them make bucketfiller hats. The Bucketfillers Program encourages children to perform acts of kindness throughout the day; thereby, filling other children’s buckets. 



Utilizing Unity Day’s Project Connect concept, Riley Avenue art teacher Melissa Haupt had her art students sign strips of paper that they linked together to form a gigantic chain that will hang in the cafeteria as a reminder of their commitment to UNITY and their links to each other. She also helped form the new Riley Avenue Student Council, who promoted Unity throughout the school.